Israel court approves Bedouin land confiscation, HRW condemns

[Jefferson23]

May 19, 2015 7:03 A.M. (Updated: May 19, 2015 7:03 A.M.)

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- The Israeli Supreme court on Tuesday turned down an appeal by the descendants of Sheikh Suleiman Muhammad al-Ukbi against a decision by the central court of Beersheba three years ago.

The court in 2012 refused a request to register 1,000 dunams (250 acres) of land in the villages of al-Araqib and Shariaa in northern Negev to their names as heirs of the original owner Sheikh al-Ukbi.

The Supreme Court also decided that the land should be registered under the name of Israeli development authority.

snip* Human Rights Watch condemned the court decisions, which pave the way for the eviction of Bedouins and Palestinians from their villages, calling on the state to let them stay put.

http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=765511

[Jefferson23]

2. Jews have, I assure you, beliefs in honor, justice and truth and loving their neighbor.

When Christians actually do what the 10 commandments state, let me know.

[azurnoir]

5. +1 well said

[Mosby]

3. -1

[King_David]

4. -1

In sure half this group would agree with that revolting post though.

[geek tragedy]

6. Same day they instituted an official apartheid policy on bus lines.

From a light unto the nations to Jim Crow.

[Jefferson23]

7. They're on a roll, no doubt about it. n/t

[Little Tich]

8. Here's the condemnation from HRW

Israel: Court Permits Discriminatory Evictions

Source: Human Rights Watch, May 19, 2015

Arab Villages in Israel, West Bank Face New Displacement

(Jerusalem) – Separate Israeli Supreme Court decisions issued on May 5, 2015, open the way for state authorities to forcibly evict residents of two Arab villages from their homes. The inhabitants of both villages, one in Israel and the other in the occupied West Bank, have previously been displaced following actions by Israeli authorities.

“It is a sad day when Israeli Supreme Court decisions provide legal cover for forced evictions, as in the case of these two villages,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director. “The Israeli government should let these communities stay where they are, not force them to move yet again.”

Between 750 and 1,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel who live in Umm al-Hiran, a village in Israel’s southern Negev desert, face removal. Israel relocated the villagers there under a 1956 agreement permitting them to live there in exchange for them dropping claims to land from which they say Israeli forces expelled them in 1948. Israeli authorities have refused to recognize the village, to supply basic services like water or electricity, or to develop a zoning plan to allow residents to obtain building permits. In 2009, Israeli authorities approved plans to use the land to build a Jewish community.

The Supreme Court ruled that the land belongs to the state and that it is entitled to withdraw permission for Umm al-Hiran inhabitants to live there, although the court rejected the government’s claim that the residents are squatters. It also ruled that replacing the village with a neighborhood “with institutions intended to serve the religious Jewish community” would not be discriminatory since, in principle, the Bedouin Umm al-Hiran residents could purchase homes there.

Read more: http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/05/19/israel-court-permits-discriminatory-evictions