The Supreme Court ordered the Jews out of Peace House in Hevron - but then the Jews presented a dramatic piece of new evidence.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
At the original court hearing, on Wednesday afternoon, the Jewish Community of Hevron produced evidence that it had purchased, via an Arab buyer, a large building in Hevron several years ago. The Arab seller denied the validity of the sale.
The judges gave the Jews 24 hours to decide if they would leave voluntarily or be thrown out - but then the case took a dramatic turn when the Jews presented a recording of the seller admitting that the sale was valid.
Jews have been living in the building, named Beit HaShalom (Peace House) and located very near the western entrance to Kiryat Arba, since March of 2007. However, because of the legal challenge, they have not been allowed to make improvements such as installing electricity. Even windows were not allowed to be installed until a special court ruling reversed this decision several months ago.
Court: Seller Did Repairs, Retains Rights
Three Supreme Court justices heard evidence from both sides on Wednesday. At one point, one judge said she gets the impression that there was "a start of a deal, and end to the deal, some kind of procedure regarding [Jewish] rights of acquisition." Still, the judges ruled, because the seller later did some repair work in the building, he retained his claim to the building.
The Jews said that they were the ones who paid him to do the work for them - but the judges did not accept this. They stated that they were strongly leaning towards ordering the Jews out of the building until its final status is determined in a District Court. They gave the Jews 24 hours, ending Thursday at noon, to decide whether they would agree to leave voluntarily.
Surprise Evidence Presented
Then came the surprise. On Thursday, the Jewish buyers presented a cassette recording of the seller admitting in a candid conversation with a friend that he had sold the building of his own volition to the man from whom the Jews bought it.
The seller, named Rajbi, is heard admitting on the tape that he sold the building to Ayoub Jabbar and received payment; that he carried out the repairs on behalf of Jabbar, who paid him; and that he is under pressure from Palestinian Authority Intelligence because of it.
The identity of the man who secretly taped his conversation, in Arabic, with Rajbi was not revealed, in order to protect his safety.
The lawyer for the Jewish side, Attorney Nadav HaEtzni, sent the material to the Prosecution and the court, noting that the new evidence is a clear admission by the plaintiff that his claim was wrong. HaEtzni said the cassette puts an end to the argument over whether the house was sold and for whom the repairs were carried out, and shows that the seller did not mean to retain any rights of ownership by carrying out the repairs.