12 May 2009

PA Files Suit Against Israel Land Theft

Jerusalem – The Palestinian prime minister’s advisor on Jerusalem affairs Hatim Abdul Qader said his office would take legal action on Tuesday to stop Israel from seizing more Palestinian land to expand the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim.

After a meeting with legal team on Monday, Abdul Qader released a statement confirming that the attorneys have been given the green light to file the required cases after being authorized by the local municipal councils of the Palestinian towns of Abu Dis and As-Sawahira Ash-Sharqiyya, and the residents who own the land slated for confiscation.

The statement added that an initial two objections would be submitted to Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank, one of which will be against Israeli Internal Minister Eli Yishai’s decision to seize lands and properties owned by Palestinians who have documents that prove ownership. The other objection will be against local authorities in Ma’ale Adumim itself to try and stop its expansion at the expense of Palestinian land.

These two contestations will be followed by an appeal to Israeli High Court of Justice, the statement added.

Abdul Qader expects that these objections will delay confiscation for at least two years during which there will be a land survey, and aerial photographs to be bought from an Israeli company. There will also be a structural demographic plan for the towns of Abu Dis and Al-Ezariyya to prove that they need to expand on these lands.link