Israelis confiscate Palestinian home

Aided by Israeli police, a hard-line Israeli organization has reportedly taken over a Palestinian home against the will of its residents.

On Tuesday, the Elad organization, which engages itself in efforts to put Palestinian property to the name of the Jewish settlers, saw the 16 members of the household out of the building in the occupied East al-Quds (Jerusalem), Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz wrote.

“We saw people from Elad inside the house coordinating things. They seemed heavily involved,” AFP quoted activist Assaf Sharon as saying.

“There are about 100 police here and the whole area is completely closed off,” he said.

The organization encourages Jews to move into dense neighborhoods in East al-Quds, in line with Israel’s policy of Judiazation of the city, which came under Tel Aviv’s occupation in 1967.

The residents said the Palestinian owner had left the house to them in his will. Lowell Investments Ltd, a company known to be acting on behalf of Elad, however, said it had bought the property from the landlord, who recently died.

Elad has also invested financed archaeological excavations in the crowded Arab neighborhood of Silwan in East al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Tel Aviv has planned to raze 22 Arab-residing homes in the neighborhood to build a so-called archeological park. Angry locals protesting the project have been faced with stiff police action.