JERUSALEM (JTA) — Jewish buyers legally bought a house in Hebron from Palestinians and must have it returned, an Israeli court ruled.
The Jerusalem District Court in its ruling Thursday on the building known by Jewish settlers as the Peace House, but also called the House of Contention, said the building must be turned over to the Jewish buyers in the next month. They must get permission from the Civil Administration in order to move in.
The Palestinian seller had told the court that the purchase agreement was canceled before it was finalized, but the court said the claim was not credible, according to reports.
The house was evacuated and seized by the Israeli government in December 2008. As many as 20 Jewish families had been living in the four-story building located between the Jewish community of Kiryat Arba and the Cave of the Patriarchs for more than a year beginning in March 2007.
Following the eviction, the state held the property until the case made its way through the court system.
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