An Israeli lawmaker moved into a house in Hebron that the High Court has ordered to be evacuated.
Rabbi Nissim Ze’ev of the religious Shas Party on Tuesday moved into the “Peace House,” a four-story building located halfway between Kiryat Arba and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, a day before a court-ordered deadline for the 20 Jewish families living in the building to vacate.
The families, who moved into the building in March 2007, claim they bought the home from its Palestinian owner. The Palestinian has denied the sale.
About 1,000 right-wing activists gathered in the adjacent community of Kiryat Arba Tuesday evening to formulate a response to the court order and possible eviction.
Lawmaker Aryeh Eldad said at the meeting that an attempt to evacuate the building would be met with more violence than when empty homes were destroyed at Amona in February 2006. More than 200 police and protestors were injured in the Amona demonstration.
“Those who evacuate Beit Hashalom will long for Amona,” he said.
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