The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has sold 96 dunams of land (almost 24 acres) to a PA company, a university spokesperson announced this week. The land, sold for $1.1 million, is located in two north-Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods, Beit Hanina and Shuafat, just west of N'vei Yaakov.
Ezra Yachin, a veteran of the Lechi organization and a resident of Beit Hanina since 1968, expressed disappointment at the news. He, his wife and six other Jewish families purchased the building in which they now reside shortly after the Six-Day War. In the ensuing years, Jews moved into 2-3 other locations in the area, but it never fulfilled their hopes of developing into a Jewish neighborhood. Among the original residents was the late Prof. Shabtai Ben-Dov, author of "The Redemption of Israel in the Crisis of the State" and other books.
The land sold by Hebrew University was bequeathed it by Dr. Eli Ben-Hoenig, one of the founders of the National Library in Jerusalem. Over the years, many Arabs illegally squatted and settled on the land, leading the university to try to sell it. Government ministries were contacted and showed interest, but in the end, the "difficulties" - either the Arab squatters, the price, or other - were too strong to overcome.
The property was purchased by a daughter company of the Palestine Housing Bank, which specializes in mortgages - making it likely that proper housing for the illegal Arab occupiers will now be built.
Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch, Head of Yeshivat Maaleh Adumim, told Arutz-7 that he was "shocked" to hear of the sale:
"We are essentially in a competition over every piece of land [with the Arabs], and this piece was owned by Jews, and it could have and should have remained Jewish. By giving up land like this, we make it harder for us to retain any portion of the Land of Israel. The Torah laws of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael [settling the Land] require us to try to acquire any piece of land - and certainly not to sell... If money was the issue, then it was not a reputable deal... It's true that the difficulties were formidable, but on the other hand, it seems that had this matter been widely publicized, it is likely that the problem could have been solved in a different manner."
Jewish organizations such as Yeshivat Beit Orot, Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim, and Uvneh Yerushalayim are involved in reclaiming Jewish-owned property in several Jerusalem neighborhoods. Chaim Silberstein of Uvneh Yerushalayim (chaim@uvnehyerushalayim.org), says, "It's sad that the property in northern Jerusalem was sold, but the truth is that there are many Jewish-owned lands right around the Old City that are in danger of being lost in the same fashion. What's needed are the financial resources to purchase these lands and preserve them for the Jewish people."
Silberstein also said that the problem of the illegal Arab squatters and structures is a widespread one, and that the municipal and national authorities are not doing enough to counter it: "There are over 10,000 illegally built units in Jerusalem, of which maybe ten are taken down every year."
Ezra Yachin, a veteran of the Lechi organization and a resident of Beit Hanina since 1968, expressed disappointment at the news. He, his wife and six other Jewish families purchased the building in which they now reside shortly after the Six-Day War. In the ensuing years, Jews moved into 2-3 other locations in the area, but it never fulfilled their hopes of developing into a Jewish neighborhood. Among the original residents was the late Prof. Shabtai Ben-Dov, author of "The Redemption of Israel in the Crisis of the State" and other books.
The land sold by Hebrew University was bequeathed it by Dr. Eli Ben-Hoenig, one of the founders of the National Library in Jerusalem. Over the years, many Arabs illegally squatted and settled on the land, leading the university to try to sell it. Government ministries were contacted and showed interest, but in the end, the "difficulties" - either the Arab squatters, the price, or other - were too strong to overcome.
The property was purchased by a daughter company of the Palestine Housing Bank, which specializes in mortgages - making it likely that proper housing for the illegal Arab occupiers will now be built.
Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch, Head of Yeshivat Maaleh Adumim, told Arutz-7 that he was "shocked" to hear of the sale:
"We are essentially in a competition over every piece of land [with the Arabs], and this piece was owned by Jews, and it could have and should have remained Jewish. By giving up land like this, we make it harder for us to retain any portion of the Land of Israel. The Torah laws of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael [settling the Land] require us to try to acquire any piece of land - and certainly not to sell... If money was the issue, then it was not a reputable deal... It's true that the difficulties were formidable, but on the other hand, it seems that had this matter been widely publicized, it is likely that the problem could have been solved in a different manner."
Jewish organizations such as Yeshivat Beit Orot, Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim, and Uvneh Yerushalayim are involved in reclaiming Jewish-owned property in several Jerusalem neighborhoods. Chaim Silberstein of Uvneh Yerushalayim (chaim@uvnehyerushalayim.org), says, "It's sad that the property in northern Jerusalem was sold, but the truth is that there are many Jewish-owned lands right around the Old City that are in danger of being lost in the same fashion. What's needed are the financial resources to purchase these lands and preserve them for the Jewish people."
Silberstein also said that the problem of the illegal Arab squatters and structures is a widespread one, and that the municipal and national authorities are not doing enough to counter it: "There are over 10,000 illegally built units in Jerusalem, of which maybe ten are taken down every year."