PA arrests suspects in Jericho home sales to settlers
Security forces detained brokers accused of transferring property in a West Bank suburb to the Nachala organization in a deal announced after occupants had moved in.
By Layla Richardson ·
Palestinian Authority security forces arrested several suspects linked to the sale of homes on the outskirts of Jericho to Israeli settlers. Anwar Rajab, the spokesman for PA security forces, told Palestinian radio that the detainees are suspected of involvement in the takeover of land in the Ad-Duyuk area of Jericho. The arrests follow a dispute over property transactions that violated local regulations regarding the transfer of land to citizens of Israel.
The transaction involved eight buildings in the Jericho suburb that were occupied last week by several dozen settlers associated with the Nachala settlement organization. Nachala stated that it purchased the properties in a secretive operation and only announced the deal after the settlers had entered the homes. Reports indicate that the arrested individuals were brokers who facilitated the transfer of these homes to the settlers.
According to the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, the suspects were remanded in custody for 15 days. PA law prohibits the sale of land to an enemy state or its citizens. In practice, this provision is primarily enforced against sales to Israeli Jews rather than Arab citizens of Israel. The property in question is located in Ad-Duyuk al-Tahta, an Area C zone under full Israeli civil and security control, adjacent to the city of Jericho, which falls under Area A and PA control.
Reports suggest the homes sit on Israeli state land and were built illegally by Palestinians. The settlers claimed to have bought the properties with the cooperation of the Binyamin Regional Council, a state-funded settlement municipal authority. The Binyamin Regional Council also asserted the buildings are on state land, though it remains unclear how the council could purchase land if it was not privately owned by Palestinians.
Settler groups have faced accusations of pressuring Palestinians and falsifying documents to seize property, a pattern more common in Hebron. These sales occurred during a surge in settler violence across the West Bank in recent months. Critics have charged that the outgoing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes far-right parties, has failed to address the issue or allow security forces to act.
Violence continued on Monday, with Palestinian media publishing footage of a settler slapping a Palestinian woman in the Khallet al-Hummus area of the South Hebron Hills. The settler was grazing sheep near the woman's home entrance. After slapping her, he asked, “Don’t come near me. Are you threatening me with a stick?” Another settler stood beside him and filmed the incident.
In a separate incident, settlers set fire to three excavators and several other vehicles in an industrial area near the village of Beita, south of Nablus. Footage circulated on social media showed fires in multiple locations, with no immediate reports of injuries. Hours earlier, settler-affiliated media reported that Palestinians had set fire to two vehicles at an outpost in the area, also with no reported injuries.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces captured 10 Palestinians affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad during a raid in the West Bank. The military stated that the suspects were planning an attack on Israeli civilians. Soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit and the Duvdevan Commando Unit, along with Border Police officers, raided the village of Arraba near Jenin based on intelligence from the Shin Bet. Troops simultaneously searched 10 buildings and located all suspects within half an hour. The suspects were handed over to the Shin Bet and Israel Police for questioning.
