Police recommended that the State Prosecutor's Office close the file on an investigation into the purchase of two houses in Hebron, Israel Hayom has learned. The previous owner of the property, a Palestinian man, claimed that a group of Jewish settlers had forged ownership documents in the purchase of two buildings they later named Rachel's House and Leah's House, adjacent to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. If the settlers receive the requested permits, they can soon enter the houses, both of which are currently abandoned. The case began in January 2016, when 200 settlers entered the three-story houses situated between the Cave of the Patriarchs and the Avraham Avinu neighborhood in Hebron. After the settlers moved in, the al-Zaatari family from Hebron claimed they had not sold them the property. A day later, then-Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon ordered that the settlers be evacuated, as they did not have the necessary documentation on hand. According to the law, the purchase of any home from Palestinians in Judea and Samaria must be approved by the Civil Administration, the Israeli governing body that operates in Judea and Samaria, and receive an occupancy permit from the defense minister. The settlers were evacuated and promised that a legal review of the purchase would be conducted within a week. Four days later, Yousef al-Zaatari made a complaint to the police in Hebron that the documents were forged. During the investigation, al-Zaatari said that he held the deed for the property up to 2009, and that he sold the property to settlers and received a payment of 1 million shekels (about $260,000) at the time of the sale in November 2011. The date on the contract was forged to validate the document, he said, so that it was ostensibly signed in 2008. According to his claims, the houses were occupied before the deal was complete and before he received an additional million shekels. During the investigation, police confiscated documents relevant to the purchase and questioned those involved. After al-Zaatari's questioning, he disappeared. Investigators tried to locate him and the ostensibly forged document, but were unsuccessful. Police discovered that he apparently had turned himself in to the Palestinian Authority and was interrogated on suspicion of selling a house to Jews. The PA apparently also arrested two more of his family members on the same suspicion. The PA denied this. After al-Zaatari's disappearance, the investigation proceeded slowly. Meanwhile, the houses stood abandoned, and settlers' requests to the Civil Administration to approve the deal were postponed because of the investigation. Two months ago, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan asked the police to move forward with the investigation. Police transferred the case to the State Prosecutor's Office two weeks ago and recommended that the case be closed. At the moment there is nothing stopping the Civil Administration from giving the deal its approval, nor anything stopping the defense minister from signing an occupancy permit -- acts that will enable the settlers to enter the house. "I instructed the police to hasten the investigation into the Palestinian complaints against the property documents in Hebron as much as possible," Erdan said. "I'm pleased nothing turned up from the investigation, and hope that the houses will be occupied soon."
