Israeli court orders settlers to return land to Palestinian owners
Judge deems sale of 100 dunams of land within the settlement of Alfei Menashe as fraudulent; key ruling further invalidates land laundering schemes that have grown prevalent in the West Bank.
By Chaim Levinson | Apr.07, 2013 | 4:57 AM
The Tel Aviv District Court ordered 100 dunams of land within the settlement of Alfei Menashe returned to their Palestinian owners after ruling that the contracts purportedly documenting the sale of the land were forged.
The key ruling further invalidates a series of transactions made following the fraudulent sale.
The land in question originally belonged to Palestinians who fled to Jordan when the Israel Defense Forces entered the West Bank in 1967. The territory was categorized as abandoned, meaning the Civil Administration was given responsibility for the land until the owners returned.
Fraud involving abandoned land is common, since the owners have difficulty tracking their property from abroad.
In 2001, a company named G.R.A. ostensibly bought land from a Palestinian from Qalqilyah for $150,000. Then, in 2006, the deed to the land was transferred from G.R.A. to another company, Harei Bracha, which specialized in construction for the Haredi sector.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-court-orders-settlers-to-return-land-to-palestinian-owners.premium-1.513829
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would stoop to such a level as theft of Palestinian land. Don't they usually leave that unpleasantness up to their government?
