Palestinians in Hebron reacted with mixed feelings to Wednesday's eviction of Jewish settlers from a house which they claimed they had legally purchased from a Palestinian.
"We hope this is not just a theatrical act," said Mahmoud Qawassmeh, who lives near the disputed house, which Palestinians say belongs to the Abu Rajab family.
"We are happy that the settlers have been removed from here," he said. "But we hope that this is a permanent move and that they won't come back."
In Ramallah, Palestinian Authority officials did not comment on the eviction of the settlers.
Qawassmeh and a group of Palestinian activists had set up a tent near the site to protest against the presence of the settlers in the house.
"We still don't know if we are going to end the protest," said Ayman Zahdeh, another neighbor. "The problem is not only with the 20 settlers who occupied the Palestinian house. The real problem we have is with all the settlers who are living in our city. We want to see all of them evicted because their presence here is a source of tension and instability."
Issa Amr, one of the activists behind the anti-settler protest, complained that settlers attacked Palestinian families Wednesday with stones and firebombs.
He said that the settlers caused damage to the windows at the home of the Sider family and a vehicle belonging to the Qafisheh family.
"The settlers also tried to set fire to our tent," he claimed. "They hurled abuse at us and threatened to harm even the children who were standing in the area."
The PA governor of Hebron, Kamel Hmeid, denied that the disputed house had been sold to settlers.
"How can 20 settlers together buy one house?" he asked. "And why did they force their way into the house after midnight? Why haven't they shown us proof that they purchased the house?"
A PA security official in Hebron confirmed that the Palestinian security forces have launched an investigation into the case to determine whether Palestinians had been involved in the real estate deal. The official also denied that a suspect had been arrested for questioning.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
JPost.com
