Israel forces evict Jewish settlers from West Bank buildings

Israeli forces on Friday evicted dozens of Jewish settlers from two buildings they moved into the day before in the heart of the flashpoint city of Hebron, near an important shrine holy to both Jews and Muslims in the West Bank.

 

The troops removed 80 people who had moved into the buildings and then they closed access to the sites, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. The buildings will remain shut until the courts determine who owns them, he said.

 

Supporters of the settlers’ group said the settlers had entered houses that were bought legally. Selling property to Israelis is considered taboo in Palestinian society and is against Palestinian law. Some have been killed by gunmen. Those Palestinians that do sell fear for their lives and usually flee the territory.

 

Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war. Palestinians demand the territory as part of their future state. Most of the international community views Israeli settlements in the territory as illegal or illegitimate.

 

Israel says the fate of the settlements should be resolved in peace talks, along with other core issues like security and borders.

 

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