Tal Schneider, Israel’s leading political blogger, broke a major story yesterday about the Hebron homes stolen and occupied over the past few days. In a new expansionist move from the 800-strong settler enclave amidst 30,000 Palestinian residents of Hebron, an Israeli group claimed to have purchased four Palestinian homes. The indigenous residents had been evicted and the thieves took over the properties.
Israeli media falsely claimed that settlers were the new owners. This is the standard manner in which such dispossession occurs. Except that in this case, the true story involved a radical escalation in strategy and tactics. The new owners were not settlers. They were actually members of the Likud Central Committee from communities within the Green Line.
Among those in the accompanying picture: Rachel S’kaat Ben Ari, Likud Party chair of Raanana; former Likud MK Orit Struk; Daniella Weiss, leader of Women in Green, who called Mahmoud Abbas “too puny to bother assassinating;” Mati Yitzhak, chair of the Rosh HaAyin Party branch; and Ilan Badiani, a long-time Party Central Committee member from the Hod HaSharon branch.
The thieves tweeted their delight and boasted about their official Party roles:
This is exactly what is called for–a clear and proper response to the murderous [Palestinian] terror which is striking at us. A public declaration that we shall not move from Eretz Yisrael. Four chairs of Likud Party branches have risen up to do the right thing at the right time: settlement of Eretz Yisrael. In deeds, not just words! We went and bought two homes in Hebron and paid full price just like the deed of our Father Abraham, who bought the Cave of Machpelah. All power to Ilan Badani, Racheli Saka’at, Mati Yitzhak and Amos Sharabi! You’ve proven that you are a perfect model of the public servant! So may such leaders multiply in our camp, men of action and courage. We are all with you and ready to be called to the flag to do whatever is necessary. Yours in love with the blessing of Tel Hai [early Zionist martyr Josef Trumpeldor] from the eternal, undivided capital, Jerusalem.
These are not (besides Struk and Weiss, who are known settler activists) your ordinary settler hotheads known for fomenting pogroms and wanted for interrogation by the Jewish unit of the Shabak. These are some of the major political powerbrokers in Israel proper. In the past, even the rightist parties have been careful to distinguish between settlers and themselves. They have supported the illegal activitities of settlers, but shown less inclination to involve themselves directly in such acts.
Now the gloves are off. The Party chair of branches in Ra’anana and Rosh HaAyin, while they occupied their stolen homes, shot out voluminous messages via social media. They not only claimed to have bought the properties themselves, they claimed the tacit support of the prime minister and defense minister for their theft. Unlike previous settler actions which were met with resistance from the State, in this case, after being removed by the IDF, the thieves expressed their understanding of the government’s actions; in expectation that they would be permitted to return to their illegal gains after a certain interval had passed and they received authorization from the defense ministry.
This brings up an important series of questions: Likud Party chairs aren’t wealthy. They don’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would take to buy four properties in Hebron. They got the funds from somewhere and someone else. Who is their Sugar Daddy? A name like Irving Moskowitz comes to mind. But would the Likud Party officially be willing to associate itself with Moskowitz (or vice versa). I think the jury’s out on that.
Next, this passage from one of the social media messages indicates that this may be a bit of political theater. In response to the evacuation of the thieves from the Palestinian homes, the thieves write:
We were there. We witnessed the humiliation of the Jews of Hebron thrown from their homes. The sight was hard to swallow. But let’s remember: our defense minister gave an order we as a movement must honor. I said this to the residents of Hebron. We must continue to work to preserve our rights to buy property in the same way we did with the purchases of Beit Shalom and Beit Machpelah [the first stolen home was rejected by a military commission, the second approved by the Supreme Court) according to the same process.
It’s true that this causes anger that despite the completely legal purchase, our right to dwell in the homes is rejected. But we have not yet had the last word in completing the process. Therefore, we as a movement must strengthen our resolve and support the prime minister and defense minister and ask them to act to advance Jewish settlement in general and in Hebron in particular.
–Yours, Racheli Ben Ari Ska’at, Ra’anana
Perhaps the ruling élite was in on the plans from the beginning and the entire performance was just a charade. Yaalon and Netanyahu direct them to purchase and occupy the homes. The State makes an elaborate show of evicting them saying they violated proper procedure in occupying the homes. Then after the furor dies down and the State has been seen to exercise its authority, it permits them to claim permanent ownership with the blessing of the State.
I do not yet have definitive evidence to prove this scenario. But it is at least as credible as the theory that a small group of Likud Party leaders acted on their own in this matter.
There is an alternative theory that might be credible. There is a leadership cadre within Likud which is dissatisfied with piecemeal efforts to create Israeli facts on the ground in the West Bank. This group seeks immediate aggressive action. In fact, it seeks to compel the State to annex the West Bank in order to establish once and for all permanent Israeli sovereignty there. This, of course, would fulfill the religious-nationalist vision of Greater Israel, a primary aim of a rump segment of Israeli society going back to 1967.
Outsiders might bridle at this and say Israel, if it chooses this path, is traveling into the abyss; that the international community will reject annexation out of hand. That it will set Israel on a collision course with the entire world. Liberal Zionists will express shock and horror at this possibility. They will recoil at it and demand that Israel back away.
Not I. I think, that while annexation would be disastrous for Israel, it actually is a good thing in the longer term. It will clarify for the world the true nature of the Likudist State. It will show temporizers like the Obama administration and elements of the EU that there can be no compromise with Netanyahu. Just as Israeli annexation is an escalation, so too must be the world’s response.
The only danger in all this is if the world maintains its previous stolid, grudging acceptance of gross Israeli violation of international law. Personally, I don’t think this is possible. Annexation is one bridge too far for Israel.
H/t to Tal Schneider for alerting me to this important story.
My understanding is that the homes that were purchased (legal or not – I do not know) were -vacant- for several years, possibly a decade.
There are approx. 600 Muslims in the core-H2 area -(link in Hebrew)
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4748666,00.html
And many many homes and shops are vacant. It’s a bit of a ghost town (many Muslims moved out, and it is hard for Jews to move in).
If the sale was legal, why are you opposed to it?
Why should Jews be barred from purchasing real-estate? Is this not discrimination?
If Hebron is to be part of a Palestinian state, shouldn’t the resident Jews have an expectation that their well being will be respected?
@ lepxii:
You conveniently neglect to say why this is so. Because Israel has closed down large portions of the Palestinian streets and neighborhoods, including what was once the main thoroughfare, Shuhadeh Street.
First of all, the sale was NOT legal. I am certain of this. Unfortunately, no one can research this matter since the deed is maintained in an archive controlled by the Occupation administration. As for why sale of land to settler is wrong, to all the rest of us this is obvious. Because it is part of a plan of ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. You do oppose ethnic cleansing in general, don’t you? But you relax those standards when it’s Jews doing the “cleansing.”
Of course, if Israel signed a peace treaty with Palestine and resolved all differences, I have no problem with Jews living in Hebron or buying land there (as long as it is done legally and according to PALESTINIAN law, not Israeli). So why don’t you work toward that end if you wish me to support a Jewish presence in Hebron?
“First of all the sale was Not legal. I am certain of this. Unfortunately, no one can research this matter since the deed is maintained in an archive controlled by the Occupation administration”.
So basically you’re standard of proof is having a strong hunch.
9/11 truthers have strong hunches too. You should give them a chance to guest post here.
@Nate: no, my standard of proof is the settler record of lying, stealing, cheating & fraud which they’ve pursued for decades. You don”t have to believe me. Look at the judicial record of multiple “sales” reversed in courts.
Distinction without a difference.
Reporting an event as a fact when your only evidence is based on the past actions of a group of people with the most vague connection to the subjects of your report is still a hunch .
Even if you could establish a strong connection between the two groups, that would be reasonable suspicion at best.
@Nate: Nonsense. You claim this set of thieves is different than all the other sets of thieves who’ve “bought” Palestinian land by hook & crooked (ed), when there’s absolutely no difference. They’re all the same driven by the same ethnic cleansing ideology & using same rancid ploys & hoaxes.
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.574421
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28302389/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/forgery-fraud-undermine-west-bank-land-deals/#.VqdDcSo4GWg
http://972mag.com/this-is-how-settlers-take-over-palestinian-land/115754/
You’re done in this thread. Do not comment further. Though you may comment in other threads if you choose.
In what dictionary, houses that were purchased are considered stolen?
The lucky seller wasn’t turned in by Nawi. LOL
@ Arik: I would use “purchased” in quotes. Since most such “purchases” involve fraud, you can no more say it was a legitimate purchase than you can say the sun revolves around the earth.
For fraud see here:
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.700794
@ Richard
I think there’s a mistake: I’m (nearly) 100% sure that the woman on the two photos described as Orit Struk is someone else. Orit Struk looks quite different and always wears a head-scarf (she’s one of the few settler lunatics that I recognize, cf. her hilarious statements when her son was sentenced for abusing a Palestinian kid).
I might be wrong.
Struk is on the far right of the first photo. She is wearing a headscarf and glasses. In the second photo it isn’t Struk – it is the Raanana likudnik (and city councilor).
@ lepxii: Thanks for the correction.
Struk is not a Likudnik. She is former Bayit Yehudi MK.
@Roger: Thanks for the correction. But they’re different branches of the same poison tree.
@ roger: Thanks for the correction. But both Parties are branches of the same poisonous tree.
Would love to see these people in the photo on a Wanted poster as they are nothing but thieves and murderers. This is more dirty tricks that the GoI will at first condemn and then reward. Obviously with no pressure on the GoI from the rest of the world, they continue in the ways of the terrorists going back to pre-1948. Shame on them and all who support/protect them.
Also would like to add that I like the new look. Thank you for your dedication to the truth about I/P.
I had not followed this story until yesterday, and what is not clear to me is how they (the ‘settlers’) can claim to have legally purchased the properties. Presumably, from Palestinian owners, right? Can they prove it?
If so, two problems with that : aren’t Palestinians likely to be killed by their own people if they sell to Jews? Unless they were absentee owners, and only cared about the money. I suppose signing over the deed(s) can be done by proxy.
Of course, the deeds could be forgeries – wouldn’t be the first such case – but then why wouldn’t the real owners come forward and expose the fraud? And how could these ‘settlers’ move in if the legitimate owners were living in the houses? Did they force them out?
I hate to say it since I don’t know the facts, but it could very well be a legitimate sale. The question though still remains: who financed it? Certain names come to mind.
The landlord is staying at a protected place. It doesn’t appear anywhere that someone is claiming for the lands, so we can safely assume that it was bought legally (as in most of the cases). There is something illegal about everything going on in Samaria and Judea, when an Arab buys a house, he (I won’t add or she because Arab women don’t have any right) only has to sign a legitimate contract, but when a Jewish Israeli wants to buy a house he or she should request additionally for permission from the ministry of defense. Actually I find it racist.
@ ilan:
What a heaping load of horse####. Actually, most cases in which settlers steal Palestinian homes claiming to have done so legally are actually fraudulent. In many cases, the legal or military system finds fraud. Even when they won’t, there is usually fraud. There are thousands of ways for settler to engage in fraud in such land deals & they exploit every one. Which, as I said, only reinforces anti-Semitic tropes of the lying, cheating Jew who uses any means necesary to achieve his ends. So 2 1/2 cheers (irony intended) for settler Jews who actively promote anti-Semitic stereotypes.
So spake the settler among us. First of all, Israel has no right to determine how a Palestinian purchases a home outside 67 borders. So your comparison to the procedures Jews have to follow is null & void. But the notion that Israel has no right to create rules by which Jews may purchase property outside 67 borders is beyond ludicrous. COUntries may regulate whatever commerce they wish within their jurisdiction (though the question of the West Bank being under Israeli jurisdiction at all is a separate matter). Calling it racist is just plain idiotic.
Ilan,
No one needs your asessment of Arab women’s rights. Just make sure the population in the OCCUPIED TERRITORIES (NOT ‘Judea’ and ‘Samaria’ which cease to exist a couple of thousand years ago) get their rights. That is all we need from you, thank you.
Well whether the sale is legitimate or not it is clear how these Likud characters see it. On one of those photographs they almost literally wrap themselves in the flag. There is a conquest here by “Eretz Israel”. The money involved (if there was any) is entirely unimportant.
I wouldn’t say the money involved is unimportant.
Given the impending legislation in the Israeli government that all NGOs ‘(pro-Palestinian) should be required to publicly disclose any funding received by foreign governments, and their members TO WEAR A TAG to such effect when appearing in Parliament, I think any foreign funding to purchase Palestinian properties in the WB should also be disclosed.
I know there’s a difference between ‘goverment’ and ‘private’ funding, however when American private donors bankroll the settlers with TAX EXEMPT money (‘charitable donations’) to the tune of billions of $$ over the years, they are screwing the US Treasury and by extension, all American taxpayers. Which makes it de facto foreign government funding, no?
Mati Itzhak is a very wealthy man. He owns a gas station, an wedding hall, and other businesses. He is one of Rosh Ha’ayin’s local tycoons, and can afford to buy real estate in Hebron. shell out