I love Israel and especially Hebron
Owner of disputed house in Hebron threatens to sue State

American-Jewish businessman whose disputed purchase of property inflamed conflict in Hebron claims he will sue government, prevent his community members from investing in Israel if court evicts Jewish settlers living there
by Ynet: Zvi Zinger
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3619272,00.html

"If the Jewish settlers are evicted from the 'peace house', I will file legal suits against the Israeli government and anyone involved in the eviction," said the Jewish businessman whose purchase of a building in Hebron inflamed rigorous conflict between the city's Jewish and Palestinian residents.

 Morris Abraham, 40, is a member of the Syrian-Jewish community in New York. His great-grandfather  was a resident of Hebron during the 1929 riots, and Abraham claims his investment in various projects in the city is personal.

 "I love Israel and especially Hebron," he told Yedioth Ahronoth. He added that his parents were almost killed in the city when Hamas operatives attacked them with stones in 1990.

Five years ago Abraham discovered that a Palestinian entrepreneur who had built a structure in Hebron was having financial difficulties, and seeking to sell it to an Israeli buyer. "I invested a million dollars in the 'peace house'," Abraham claimed.

He said it was "intolerable" that the Israeli government was preventing Jews from purchasing property in the West Bank, something they could do "anywhere else in the free world".

 The Hebron house case erupted in May of 2007, when a Palestinian resident filed a petition against 20 Jewish families he claimed had seized the house illegally. The families claimed the property had been paid for, but the court ruled they were to be evicted.

The families then submitted a tape to the court in which the plaintiff could be heard telling his friend he had sold the property to a Palestinian realtor, prompting the case's reexamination.

Abraham claims the sale was legitimate. "We have all of the evidence," he claims. "Everything was documented, including the transfer of money."

He said the State was executing a racist policy in its eviction of the residents, and threatened to sue the government. Abraham said he would also prevent other members of his community from donating funds and investing in Israel.

 The case is currently being examined by the High Court of Justice, which stated recently that even if the house had been purchased legally, the residents could still be evicted until the matter was resolved. The decision prompted settlers to begin preparing for a forced evacuation.

Last week Hebron's Jewish community presented the Supreme Court with new evidence, an audio cassette, with a recording of the seller of Beit HaShalom telling a friend that he received full compensation for the building and that he was also paid by the buyer to make certain renovations in the building. The court has yet to react to this evidence.

In addition, fifty Knesset members, including members of the Kadima party, signed a letter to attorney general Manny Mazuz, requesting that he reinvestigate the sale of the building in light of the new evidence, and in the mean time, refrain from ordering expulsion of the Jews living there.

Yesterday afternoon, due to various reports received, there was a possibility that the building was about to be evacuated. Hundreds of people, including many youth arrived immediately in order to be present should an expulsion be attempted. Thankfully the attempt to expel the Jewish residents did not occur.

However, an emergency meeting of Hebron and Kiryat Arba leaders, together with other Yesha activists, was held last night. One of the decisions made was to call for a large continuous presence in the building.

This new evidence should put an end to the argument focusing on the purchase, renovations and possession and should prove once and for all that we have evidence which is the admission of the seller himself.
Beit HaShalom: New evidence proving purchase of the building

Beit HaShalom: The Hebron Jewish Community presents new dramatic evidence: An audio cassette which recorded the Arab admit he sold the building and renovated the property for the buyer.  

View (Hear) (Hebrew-Arabic) conversation of admission by Arab seller
View relevant documents (Hebrew)

Yesterday the Supreme Court discussed Beit HaShalom in Hebron. The discussion focused on the question of purchase and possession. This, following presentation of a report authored by an expert, testifying for the community, which contradicted the state's claim concerning validity of the purchase documents. The judges stressed throughout the discussion that even if the building was legally purchased, it is still possible to issue an expulsion order because the building was still in the possession of the Arab seller, Rajbi. For example, the judge Procatzia said, "I am struck, by the evidence presented concerning the beginning of the process and the conclusion of the process, an issue concerning purchase."

Possession, according to the judges, is expressed by the fact that the seller continued renovations in the building. Hebron claims that these renovations were implemented for them and paid for by them. However the judges did not accept this claim and informed them, at the conclusion of the discussion, that they would probably order that the Hebron residents be expelled from the building. The building would then remain empty until the question of ownership was decided in a Jerusalem District court. The Hebron community was given 24 hours to decide if they would agree to voluntarily leave the building. The ultimatum was due to expire at twelve noon today.  

However, the community surprised the Supreme Court and prosecution with new dramatic evidence: An audio cassette which documents the seller, Rajbi, in a friendly conversation with a friend, saying:
that he sold Beit HaShalom to Eiub Jabber and received the full amount for the building. That he implemented renovations in the building for Eiub Jabber and was paid for his work.
Shech Paroun brought him the money for the renovations.
That he is under pressure from Palestinian intelligence forces.  

Some quotes from the conversation on the cassette:  

Faiz Rajbi: (on the story of the building) …by Allah I didn't know…

Friend: So what are you, how did you get to this subject?

Rajbi: I sold it to E i u b. Friend: Which Eiub? Rajbi: Eiub Jabbar

Friend: Ah, the one in Amman?

Rajbi: Yes, Eiub. I don't know, he sent me some money to renovate it. What he sent me (hinting) I don't know and afterwards I renovated for him and later investigated and… I was disgraced.

Friend: OK, who brought you to renovate, who you say stole half of it?

Rajbi: He (Eiub) sent me Shech Paroun..

Friend: Shech Paroun?

Rajbi: Shech Paroun. He sent him for me to renovate it (the building).

Friend: OK, and you didn't know he was a spy and sold it to a Jew? Rajbi: How would I know? Tell me my friend, Jews – and the man who sold fled.

Friend: You didn't know he had contact with Jews – which Jews?

Rajbi: Never

Friend: And the money you took, for the entire renovation? Rajbi: No.

Friend: And the price for the building, he really paid you?

Rajbi: Yes

Attorney Nadav HaEtzni sent this material to the State and the court and pointed out that this new evidence should put an end to the argument focusing on the purchase, renovations and possession and should prove once and for all that we have evidence which is the admission of the seller himself.   The cassette was transferred, together with the statement signed yesterday in Attorney HaEtzni's office by the person who recorded the conversation. Concurrently the material was transferred to some of the others involved in the case but not all, and to the court. 

In addition Attorney HaEtzni requested that the court order the identity of the signatory sealed and that any and all details concerning his identity be so sealed, for two reasons: A suspicion that his life could be put in danger A suspicion that the court proceeding could be interfered with from the moment that his identity became known, should he feel threatened. (Attorney HaEztni pointed out that this is similar to similar events which occurred with Rajbi himself, who, due to threats gave false testimony to the police and signed a false statement for the court.)  

Of all of the versions Rajbi has given concerning the building (3 versions till now), this is the first one which was given in an open, heart-to-heart conversation with a friend, without any fear and this is the first one which is compatible with facts presented in the documents and the report of the criminal police identity squad (ignoring the twisted significances given by the prosecutor's office), this is the authentic version.  

According to this version, Rajbi implemented the renovations in the building for Eiub, as a representative of Eiub, and in return we received payment from him. If the act of renovation is an act of his own possession, as was expressed yesterday in court by the president of the Supreme Court Bainish, "your claim is that Mr. Rajbi held the building for you in the form of a contractor, and he claims that he renovated for himself" – this question has now been fully answered.  

As stated, this serves as admission by the person in question, and this should serve to finalize the entire case.   So writes Attorney HaEtzni to the State attorney.

 

18 years - all gone. We have to start all over again

A video account of the destruction

Elisheva Federman describes the Expulsion and Destruction

The Ruins - the day after

 

 

Over the past month and a half, some 100,000 people visited Hebron. These numbers speak for themselves.


The past few weeks have been extremely busy. So much so that finding time to put down a few words on paper has been almost impossible. But now, with the holidays over, with life returning to some kind of normalcy, the time has come.

One of the more important stories coming out of Hebron lately was the revelation that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak gave a green light to allow close to a thousand additional armed terrorists in uniform, aka 'palestinian police' into the H1 – Arab-controlled zone of Hebron.



Flashback: The Year: 1996 – The United States is frenetically pressuring Israel to immediately sign and implement the 'Hebron Accords,' a direct continuation of Oslo, dividing Hebron into two, very unequal zones: H1- fully controlled by Arafat's PA, with a full Israeli withdrawal from that side of the city, comprising some 80% of Hebron, and H-2 – to be under Israeli security control but PA administrative control, comprising about 20% of the city.

Included in the deal are the hills surrounding the Jewish neighborhoods of Hebron as well as Ma'arat HaMachpela: Abu-Sneneh to the south and Harat a'Shech to the north.

During an immense media campaign to attempt to prevent the abandonment of most of Hebron, the Hebron Jewish Community releases a film in Hebrew and English, titled, "Hebron in Danger." Released and screened at a press conference in Jerusalem the short video predicts the results of transfer of the city and the hills to the Arabs: massive shooting attacks at the Jewish neighborhoods in the city.



Israeli press and politicians sneeringly labeled Hebron's residents as 'hysterical' and 'panicking.' When community leaders climbed the Abu-Sneneh hills with Knesset members and government ministers to show them the danger first-hand, then Hebron Commander Col. Gaddi Shamni (now a full general, commander of the Central Region) would give his own explanation: 'of course there could be danger if there wasn't peace, but now Israeli is in the midst of a peace process – with peace there shouldn't be any danger to Hebron's Jewish residents.'

Flashback: The eve of Rosh HaShana – the Jewish New Year, 2000: Massive gunfire erupts from Abu-Sneneh and Harat a'Shech towards the Jewish neighborhoods in Hebron; gunfire which continues for almost two years.

Flashback: The Avraham Avinu neighborhood, March 26, 2001 at about 4:00 in the afternoon: An Arab sniper shoots and kills 10 month old Shalhevet Pass. Shalhevet was shot in the head; her father, Itzik was shot in legs; her mother, standing next to them, is uninjured.

Flashback: November 15, 2002: Worshipers Way, between Hebron and Kiryat Arba: Following the terror in Netanya and the Adura community outside of Hebron, Israel retook security control of all of Hebron. Following the Succot holidays in 2002, then Defense Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer again withdrew all Israeli forces from the
H-1 zone in Hebron, leaving that side of the city under total Arab control. On Friday night, Nov. 15, three terrorists attacked Jews walking back to Kiryat Arba from Ma'arat HaMachpela. The ensuing battle left 12 men dead, including three civilian members of the Kiryat Arba emergency security squad and 9 officers and soldiers, including the commander of the Hebron region, Col. Dror Weinberg. The attack was a direct result of the abandonment of 80% of Hebron.

Fast forward: October, 2008: Defense Minister Ehud Barak gives the OK to again allow armed terrorists in uniform, under the auspices of PA president Abu Mazen, to patrol in Hebron, with a massive reduction of Israeli troops in the H-1 zone.

Fast forward: 2009 - ???????

A few days ago I was up on Abu Sneneh with a small group from Hebron, and Likud MK Gilad Ardan. Looking down at the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, Beit Romano, and Ma'arat HaMachpela, I had trouble conceptualizing that the Israeli government was about to make the same mistake again, thereby placing not only the lives of Hebron's Jewish population, and the thousands who visit Hebron in jeopardy, but also Jews throughout Israel, who will again be endangered by terrorists leaving Hebron, to explode in cities all over the country.

What is Hebron's response?

Of course, Hebron's leadership is in contact with various public officials to attempt to pressure Barak to cancel his permit allowing more armed terrorists back into Hebron. MK Ardan demanded that the attorney general, Manny Mazuz, prevent such a fateful decision from being implemented, arguing that a 'transitional government' doesn't have the legal authority to enact such a decision.

However, the authentic reaction is not political. Last week, during the Succot holiday, over 50,000 Jews visited Hebron. Over the past month and a half, some 100,000 people visited Hebron. These numbers speak for themselves.

Last Thursday, the day of the Hebron music festival, thousands upon thousands packed the Ma'arat HaMachpela courtyard, participating in the joyous celebration. Hundreds of children rode on donkeys and participated in an arts and crafts festival behind the Gutnick Center. Tourists visited all Jewish neighborhoods in the city, including the Kasba and the Cave of Otniel ben Knaz. Again, Am Yisrael did not disappoint: the street were packed with visitors from all over Israel and around the world, showing their overwhelming support for Hebron and the city's Jewish community.

True, much more work is necessary, to bring more Jews not only to visit Hebron, but also to live in Hebron, and to keep additional terrorists far, far away. But fifty thousand in one week is certainly a very good start. The is the true Hebron response – to continue to keep Hebron and Ma'arat HaMachpela open, not only for the Jews, but for those of all races and religions, allowing all to experience the wonder of the city of Abraham and Sarah.

And B'ezrat HaShem, with G-d's help, this will help to keep the terrorists away. At the very least, it will proclaim loud and clear: We are here to stay. Hebron- Now and Forever.