Former MK Chanan Porat of Gush Etzion has turned to President Shimon Peres, asking him to intervene to postpone a governmental decision to forcefully evict dozens or hundreds of Jews from Beit HaShalom in Hevron.

In a letter to Peres, Porat writes:

“I have asked the Defense Minister [Ehud Barak] and his Deputy [Matan Vilnai] to refrain from evicting the occupants of Beit HaShalom, in light of the tremendous sensitivity, and sense of injustice and angst amongst half of the public, and in light of the genuine fear that this could lead to a terrible battle between brothers.”
The building in question, a four-story structure along the entrance road to Hevron near Kiryat Arba, was purchased by Jews for the Jewish Community of Hevron four years ago. Close to 20 Jewish families moved in some 20 months ago, but the Arab seller then claimed that he had later reneged on the deal and that the purchase papers were forged. Despite clear evidence to the contrary, the Supreme Court recently gave the Jews three days to clear out of the building, “and if not, the police may evict them forcefully.”

Porat quotes former Supreme Court Justice Yaakov Turkel, who told Arutz-7 earlier this week that the media has misled the public and many of its officials into thinking that the Supreme Court ordered the eviction of the Jews.

“The ruling in question does not order the State to evict the Jews, but rather allows them to do so,” Turkel emphasized. If he was a ruling the case, Turkel said, “I would have passed the matter down to the District Court, in light of the complexity of the case and the mutual claims of forgery. The District Court would then review the evidence and decide if an evacuation order should be issued before a final ruling.”

“I have decided to turn to you [Porat wrote to Peres,] not only because you are the President of the country, responsible for peace and unity among all sectors of the nation – but also because you stood at a somewhat similar intersection 13 years ago.”
Porat was referring to the situation in 1996, on the eve of the national elections between Peres and Netanyahu, following the assassination of Rabin and the outbreak of murderous Palestinian terrorism in the face of continued Israeli implementation of the Oslo Agreement. Peres had just given over to Palestinian Authority control the cities of Jenin, Shechem, Tul Karem, Ramallah and Bethlehem.
“It was then going to be Hevron’s turn [Porat wrote], but I turned to you and I requested: Stop! You must not! Hevron is a most sensitive city, and it is now election time, and the nation will very soon make its voice heard. Please, I asked you, act with fairness and leave the decision as to whether to give away Hevron – to the one who will soon receive the electoral trust of the nation, whoever it may be.

"Then,13 years ago, you accepted my request. You displayed democratic fairness and governmental responsibility. You refrained from carrying out an election-eve grab. You stopped and put the brakes on the process that in the end, to my great sorrow, was carried out by the elected prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu.”

"[Given the similarities between then and now,] please help today’s defense minister make the right and proper decision, and avoid strong-arm tactics in Beit HaShalom at this time.”

Hevron spokesman Noam Arnon summed up the Jewish community’s objections to the Court ruling:

“The Supreme Court justices did not address all the evidence, and decided arbitrarily and outrageously to accept the Arab seller’s version, without checking the facts. The Court ruled that the seller, who was engaged in fixing up the house for the buyers, and was paid by them for his work, was actually ‘occupying’ the house, and therefore the Jewish buyers are ‘squatters.’ Even a tape recording of the seller admitting that he had sold it to Jews and was fixing it up for them made no difference.”

Arnon has issued a call for the public to come to Beit HaShalom:

“At this point, there is tremendous importance to have hundreds and thousands of Jews in and around the building. They will help the government reach the only logical conclusion: Strong-arm actions based on narrow political interests must not be carried out now, but only after a careful judicial hearing in a lower court – and at least not before the elections. …

“This is the time to act! Come to the building and express non-violent protest of the discrimination against Jews, against the suffocation of Jewish settlement, against biased judges, and against a dangerous decision that deepens the rift and estrangement towards the judicial and governmental establishment.

“The very presence of great numbers of supporters will prevent, with G-d’s help, any attempt to evict and destroy, and thus peace will reign in Peace House [Beit HaShalom].”

Early Tuesday afternoon, dozens of Hevron supporters began marching southward to the city, as part of the struggle for Beit HaShalom. They were expected to reach Gush Etzion Tuesday evening, and march together with many Gush Etzion residents to Hevron. “The purpose is to create a sense of streaming towards Hevron. This is an emergency hour, and everyone must understand this,” said the statement by the Jewish community.