

On Wednesday settlers under police protection move into the Natcheh family house in Beit Hanina. (Photo: Ahmad Gharabli / AFP)

A few weeks ago the Natcheh family, who live in East Jerusalem, caught an almost unheard of break for Palestinian families when city officials canceled an eviction order for their house in Beit Hanina.

But pressure from Aryeh King and his organization The Israel Land Fund, which posted and ad calling for “strong men [who] are wanted to legally evacuate Arab squatters,” re-instated the order and now, approximately eight settlers have moved into the house. Jeff Halper, who is following the story and has met with the family, emailed me today details of the eviction:

After months of harassment from settlers and the police, on Wednesday morning the police came and evicted the 14 members Natcheh family from their home, with all their belongings (we have a picture and a report on our ICAHD website). Several members of the family were arrested, but we don’t know why as yet. Rather than demolish the home, however, which is usually the case, the police escorted a group of settlers into the home, where they took possession. Aryeh King’s lawyer even made a statement to the press that its good that Jews are retaking their properties and announced plans to build 60 homes for Jews (only, of course), in the heart of the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina. Its just another example of how Jews are able to win dragged-out court cases on flimsy grounds because the Palestinians do not have the financial resources to compete with them (there was NEVER a Jewish community in Beit Hanina), and witness to the fact that Palestinians like the Natcheh’s are unable to reclaim their families’ properties and homes inside Israel. 85% of the Palestinians driven from their homes in 1948 (where they owned 40% of the land and housing in WEST Jerusalem) lived — and many have died — just a few minutes away from those homes that they could never repossess.

The Natchehs have lived in their mutli-family home since the late 1980s, and have reportedly used the property since the 1930s, when they used to have a small factory.

