Even as security forces evacuated two Jewish outposts overnight, the IDF announced Sunday it would compensate Arabs whose property was damaged during the evacuation of Peace House in Hevron in December.
Security forces continued to make good on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s promise to deal with unauthorized outposts on Saturday night, and dismantled the Pnei Shiloh outpost near Shiloh and the “Obama” outpost near Kochav Ya’akov.
Both outposts had been erected by activists to protest the government’s demolition of the Maoz Esther start-up community near Kochav HaShachar last Wednesday. Security forces had descended on Pnei Shiloh last Friday and destroyed the make-shift structure at the site, but activists quickly rebuilt it before the onset of the Sabbath.
Activists promised to rebuild the two new outposts before the day’s end on Sunday. Pnei Shiloh is built on the ruins of an abandoned army base, while the “Obama” outpost was named for U.S. President Barack Obama – activists claim his harsh policies against the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria are their inspiration to build more.
IDF To Compensate Arabs for Evacuation of Jewish Peace House
Meanwhile, the IDF announced Sunday morning that it would compensate 50 Hevron Arab families who say their property was damaged during the evacuation of the Jewish Peace House apartment complex last December.
Army appraisers who inspected the damage reported to a special IDF committee that the 50 families should be compensated NIS 250,000. The Arabs say that their property, including cars and houses, were damaged by Jews who came to protest the evacuation of the Peace House.
According to the Hevron Jewish community, Peace House was purchased by New York Jew Morris Abraham from a Hevron Arab for the sum of $750,000. The purchase was recorded on video and audiotape, and attested to by numerous signed documents.
Nevertheless, facing the death penalty in PA courts, the Arab who sold the house reneged on his deal and claimed the Jews stole his house. After a dozen Jewish families lived in the house for two years, Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided to evict the Jewish families until the matter would be settled by the courts.
“Instead of compensating the Arab families, the IDF needs to start by returning the building they stole from us,” Hevron spokesman David Wilder said. “Afterwards we can sit down and decide whether the Arabs need to be compensated as well.”
“The IDF’s values are completely distorted,” Wilder added. “At the same time it continues to evacuate Jews from their homes, with no compensation, it is giving a quarter of a million shekels to the Arabs in Hevron.”