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World Jewish News
IDF to station troops in Hebron's 'House of Contention'
15.03.2009
The Israel Defense Forces has decided to station troops at the so-called "House of Contention" in the West Bank city of Hebron, the building from which the army forcibly evacuated settlers about three months ago.
The decision was reached as part of a plan to allow Palestinian vehicles entry to the "Zion route," which connects the settlement of Kiryat Arba to the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The army seeks to better protect Israeli and Palestinian residents with the deployment of the soldiers.
The significance of the move is that the owners of the building will be unable to use it as long as it is held by the IDF. This measure has been used in the past against Palestinians, when troops have taken over homes of Palestinian families for security reasons.
The IDF Spokesman's Office told Haaretz that the troops presence in the building is only temporary. It said there is nothing in the decision that would influence disputed ownership rights over the building and a court hearing between various the claimants, which is currently underway.
Hebron settlers harshly criticized the move, claiming that the army had not formally notified them of it and that it would endanger lives.
"The opening of the single road to the Tomb of the Patriarchs is intended as a gesture to the Palestinians, despite the huge danger to the lives of thousands of Jews who travel on it every day," a Hebron settler said.
In early December, security forces stormed the "House of Contention," dragging out some 250 settlers who barricaded themselves inside and hurled rocks, eggs and chemicals at their evictors. They had been holed up in the building in defiance of a Supreme Court eviction notice.
Источник: Haaretz
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