Almost All West Bank Land Deals for Illegal Settlements Forged, Investigation Finds

[Israeli]

From straw men to cash-stuffed suitcases, new investigation reveals that 14 out 15 acquisitions by right wing firm of West Bank lands from Palestinians were forged.

Chaim Levinson Feb 01, 2016

A fraud squad investigation has revealed that 14 of 15 supposed real estate acquisitions made by Al-Watan, a company run by pro-settlement activist Ze’ev Hever and owned by the right wing Amana, were forged.

Details of the West Bank forgery industry were broadcast on Tuesday in an investigative report on the Channel 10 program HaMakor with Raviv Drucker.

In recent years, whenever the state sought to evacuate illegal outposts in the Binyamin region, Al-Watan officials would announce that they had bought the local lands from their Palestinian owners. The documents often turned out to be forged.

A police investigation that was opened in the case ended, and the case was transferred to the state prosecutor. The police did not interrogate Hever, but by questioning a chain of straw men it emerged that 14 of the 15 supposed deals were forged.

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: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.700794

[DetlefK]

1. So... will the property go back to the palestinian owners?

[Little Tich]

2. Israel will do nothing about this.

In a state where the rule of law is obeyed, this would be a serious matter indeed. The rightful owners won't get their land back, and if they actually do, they won't be allowed to use it in a meaningful way.