Hebron: Who confiscated the abandoned Palestinian house and why?
Yesterday, Defense Minister Naftali Bennet – a transition government member with no moral responsibility but with practical authority – gleefully announced the construction of a new neighborhood for Jewish settler-colonists in Hebron.
Any real estate deal in Hebron depends on two parallel procedures:
- A ‘kosher’ sale
- Approval of the Defense Minister
If both conditions are met, there is no chance that the court will not endorse it.
In general the Defense Minister used to prevent such deals for security reasons, but this time this minister not only refrained from preventing the dal – he actually encouraged it. The house in question is situated at a sensitive spot – opposite the entrance for Muslims only to the Cave of the Fathers.
The house is deserted and at least I have no idea who its owners are. Encouraged by the Palestinian Hebron municipality, a family has resided there paying extremely low rent, and terribly impoverished. The lower floor contains a sheep pen and a chicken coup. I managed to trick the Border Policemen of Abed Checkpoint, entered the building and took photos. The plan is construct a new building in its stead, which will create territorial contiguity to the Rachel and Leah House. Most likely, a fancy checkpoint will also be erected right next to it.
Despair has no bounds.
