Settlers entered several homes in Hebron today and established a new settlement in them. The settlers’ association “Harchivi Mekom Ohalech” claims that it purchased five houses from Palestinians in the Jabal Jalles neighborhood of Hebron, about 1,300 meters east of the Cave of the Patriarchs / the Ibrahimi Mosque. These are five houses in a densely populated Palestinian neighborhood that could accommodate dozens of families and hundreds of settlers. It should be noted that according to Palestinian reports, last night the IDF carried out a large-scale arrest operation in the neighborhood and detained dozens of Palestinian men, increasing suspicion that the army was aware of the settlers’ intention to enter the homes and establish a new settlement in Hebron.
Peace Now: “We are seeing here an alarming example of the consequences of the government’s new policy regarding land purchases in the West Bank. A handful of real estate–hungry settlers will in the future be able to determine many more such facts on the ground, with far-reaching political and security implications. This is what annexation looks like!”
Land purchases in the occupied territories have always been a dubious field involving forgery and fraud. Until the government’s annexation overhaul in the occupied territories—when it removed authority from the army and transferred it to an official appointed by Minister Smotrich—a meticulous review of purchase claim documents was conducted, including examination in a forensic laboratory, before a transaction permit was granted to settlers. Immediately upon the appointment of Hillel Roth as the “civil deputy” to the head of the Civil Administration, an easing of procedures for obtaining such a transaction permit was felt. In a cabinet decision about two weeks ago, the cabinet decided, among other things, to cancel the requirement for a transaction permit, and alongside additional easements in the acquisition process, effectively gave settlers a free hand to purchase land in the West Bank and create facts on the ground.
In the current case of the settlers’ claimed purchase in the Jabal Jalles neighborhood, Peace Now has no information as to whether a transaction permit was granted or not. In the past, there were cases in which settlers entered homes even without receiving a transaction permit, and they almost always did so before the registration process itself, before the Palestinian owners could express opposition to the purchase.
Arrests in Jabel Jalles in Hebron at the eve of the settlers’ entrance to the new homes. From Saffa Agency facebook page, 18/2/26