Ramallah: In a strongly-worded editorial, the Israeli daily the Haaretz lashed out at colonist plans to take over areas of Hebron that the Israeli regime intended to exchange for peace talks.
It said that moves by colonists to take over areas will only add to the ongoing unrest.
The controversial takeover of two buildings in Hebron was an attempt to “poke a finger in the eye of Palestinians”, it said.
On Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon ordered the ‘temporary’ eviction of colonists from two main buildings in Hebron’s Old Town.
The colonists claim they secretly bought the buildings from Palestinians, but the Israeli regime said they needed to submit stronger documentation to prove they owned the buildings. Palestinians say the buildings were taken over illegally when 200 colonists marched into the Palestinian buildings, used crowbars to break in and then raised the Israeli flag on the roof.
The daring act angered Palestinian youths who quickly took to the streets to protest.
“They had the full protection of the Israeli occupation forces,” Emad Hamdan, the Head of Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, told Gulf News.
“We will fight the case as there is no credible evidence that the colonists secretly bought the buildings.”
