CPTnet
3
October 2012
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON): Peace
and good neighbors, not another settlement outpost
When Israeli Settlers move into a house in Hebron, it
often restricts Palestinians’ freedom of movement and leads to an increase in Settler
Violence. A house occupied by Settlers can mean that
a road is closed to Palestinians, who then face much
longer journeys to school and work; it can mean additional soldiers in an area and
more harassment and detentions.
It is no wonder then that at the moment there is a lot of
worry about the House of
Contention on Gaaber Street. Settlers
originally occupied this house in 2007. Settler
violence quickly ensued when the Settlers faced an eviction order after
police found that some of the papers they had used to prove they had bought the
house were forgeries. The Settlers appealed the eviction to the Israeli Supreme
Court, but the court rejected their petition.
If some crucial papers were found to be forgeries and the
High Court rejected their appeal, why did the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court rule
on 13 September that the house belongs to the Settlers and that their buying of
the house was ‘Kosher’? All Israeli
Settlements in the West Bank are recognized by the UN as being illegal under
international law. The Jerusalem
Magistrate Court has just given the
green light to people to settle illegally in the West
Bank.
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When we speak of Israeli Settlers we are not talking about
people who wish to come and be neighbors of the Palestinians, rather we are
talking about people who wish to apply Israeli Sovereignty over the West Bank.
CPT Al-Khalil asks supporters to please read the Hebron
Rehabilitation Committee statement and join us in prayer that illegal
settlements in the West Bank will stop and one day Palestinians can walk and
drive all over Hebron without the interference of the Israeli Defense Forces
and Settlers.
