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Last update - 15:36 22/12/2008
B'Tselem: 58% of Ofra settlement built on Palestinian land
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: ofra, B'Tselem, jerusalem 

Most of the land of the veteran West Bank settlement of Ofra was built on private land belonging to Palestinians, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said on Monday.

It said that 58 percent of Ofra was built on property shown in the official land registry to belong to Palestinian individuals, and that it therefore constituted an illegal outpost that should be dismantled.

Ofra residents said in response that the land was purchased legally from the Palestinian owners, but that there was no possibility of exposing the documents to public scrutiny, for fear of Palestinian retribution attacks on the sellers.
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B'Tselem obtained 43 land registry records from the IDF's Civil Administration arm, covering 210 dunams [52.5 acres] of land and showing Palestinian property owners from the villages of Ein Yavrud and Silwad. Another 180 dunams [45 acres] are included in land taken over under an unlawful army expropriation order in 1977.

According to the group's figures, of Ofra's total area of 670 dunams [167.5 acres], 390 dunams [97.5 acres] or 58 percent, are owned by Palestinians.

Moreover, Ofra, since its founding in 1975, has never had a declared area of jurisdiction, has never had an approved master plan, and has not issued building permits according to the law, B'Tselem said.

"Hundreds of houses were erected without permits, and in fact, we are speaking of the illegal construction of an entire settlement," it said of Ofra, which now has about 3,000 residents.

Israeli law states that an Israeli settlement in the West Bank which is built on land registered to Palestinians, and which lacks building permits or a specified area of jurisdiction, is an illegal outpost and must be evacuated.

"The government of Israel is obligated to dismantle the Ofra outpost, to return to its owners the land that was taken from them in violation of the law, and to compensate them," B'Tselem said.

The settlers' Yesha Council said in response that the goal of the report was not to safeguard the rights of Arabs, but to remove the Jews from their land.

"Regrettably, B'Tselem is trying to systematically do harm to settlements, and in that regard, will spare no means - even lies - in order to harm settlements."

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      1.   Remember last time? Betselem dingdongs misinterpreted maps 09:14  |  SDHD 22/12/08
      2.   fortunately...... 09:19  |  ecr 22/12/08
      3.   100% of Tel Aviv University is built on Palestinian land 10:38  |  Phil Steen 22/12/08
      4.   I remembeer when they said the same about maale adumim 10:39  |  David G 22/12/08
      5.   if we are not for ourselves who will be for us 11:04  |  harzion 22/12/08
      6.   land ownership 11:56  |  a 22/12/08
      7.   Palestinian Land 11:57  |  Avinash 22/12/08
      8.   Ofra still 100% illegal settlement 11:57  |  John 22/12/08
      9.   #3 Phil(i)Steen,it`s you who are the thieves 12:24  |  Hastaroth 22/12/08
      10.   What about the rest? 12:24  |  John and the truth 22/12/08
      11.   `If we are only for ourselves, what are we`? 12:39  |  Roo 22/12/08
      12.   10 No, John it`s not - 12:53  |  Elihu 22/12/08
      13.   Thieves are a large. 12:54  |  American 22/12/08
      14.   This may be a reason to throw rockets 12:57  |  Edith 22/12/08
      15.   #10 John who doesn`t know the truth 12:57  |  Hastaroth 22/12/08
      16.   Avinash #7 please stick to your Mauritius 13:01  |  Hastaroth 22/12/08
      17.   don`t forget 100% of palestinian land is built on israeli land 13:03  |  another perspective 22/12/08
      18.   Doesn`t matter. All settlements are illegal 13:06  |  Northern 22/12/08
      19.   No one cares what these fruitcakes think 13:09  |  UsedToPostHere 22/12/08
      20.   Beer Sheva and Los Angeles are illegal too!! 13:12  |  Dr Eric 22/12/08
      21.   Btzelem is a totally pro arab!!! 13:14  |  Dr Eric 22/12/08
      22.   the illegal organistion which contravenes israels own laws 13:25  |  victor hardman 22/12/08
      23.   100% of Israel built on Palestinian land 13:42  |  Murad 22/12/08
      24.   roo the parrot 13:54  |  harzion 22/12/08
      25.   roo dont worry about ofra 13:56  |  harzion 22/12/08
      26.   roo rabbi hillel would not want a bigot to repeat these words 13:59  |  yirmi 22/12/08
      27.   murad if you do not want israel why are you so keen 14:05  |  yaheskel 22/12/08
      28.   # 3 Don`t hold your breath Pal 14:07  |  Petra 22/12/08
      29.   murad 14 million german refugees were thrown out of eastern 14:07  |  yirmi 22/12/08
      30.   FOR THE PALS ISRAEL DOESN`T EXIST. 14:14  |  Petra 22/12/08
      31.   harzion/yirmi #26 *bigot* 14:19  |  Roo 22/12/08
      32.   to n. 12 and 15 etc. 14:21  |  John and the truth 22/12/08
      33.   no activists on Palestinian side interested in protecting 14:36  |  Avi 22/12/08
      34.   roo "those are my words not rabbi hillel`s" 14:57  |  harzion 22/12/08
      35.   roo glad to hear you keep my writings 15:01  |  harzion 22/12/08
      36.   I think Btselem should be helping the people of Sderot 15:02  |  RA 22/12/08
      37.   Kick B`Tselem out and at least then they`d have a reason to 15:13  |  Don`t tolerate B`tse 22/12/08
      38.   B`Tselem built on Palestinian land 15:29  |  shlomo 22/12/08
      39.   harzion- weak response #35 15:45  |  Roo 22/12/08
      40.   See What These Colonists Perpetrate as Truth 15:51  |  Yaakov Sullivan 22/12/08
      41.   harzion can`t read #34 [parrot to sloth] 15:58  |  Roo 22/12/08
      42.   To Hastaroth: Cinderella is a nice story too. 16:08  |  John 22/12/08
      43.   US Jewish community funds settlements 16:20  |  TimothyL 22/12/08
      44.   Dream on Elihu 16:23  |  John 22/12/08
      45.   Nothing new here .We had a similar story on the weekend 16:32  |  Labhras 22/12/08
      46.   Elihu It does not matter what was--that was then this 16:40  |  Labhras 22/12/08
      47.   to #43 - TIMI. 16:44  |  Kobi 22/12/08
      48.   John (#44) From the Netherlands has some issues with Colonization 16:54  |  Gil 22/12/08
      49.   Btselem enosh, built to make mistakes 17:03  |  x-ray 22/12/08
      50.   To GIL 17:20  |  Sam Soul 22/12/08
      51.   Elihu, the indigenous people own the land 17:52  |  Ben Alofs 22/12/08
      52.   Ofra 18:02  |  Don W 22/12/08
      53.   roo both lines belong to rabbi hillel 18:17  |  harzion 22/12/08
      54.   SAM Soul (#50) what history would that be 18:19  |  Gil 22/12/08
      55.   #22 Victor Hardman. "Close down" peace. 18:27  |  Maureen Ann 22/12/08
      56.   harzion-hillel was a mench too? 18:37  |  Roo 22/12/08
      57.   To GIL 18:48  |  Sam Soul 22/12/08
      58.   Alofs The Jews are indigenous to Judah & Samaria 18:49  |  x-ray 22/12/08
      59.   Immediate negociations 18:51  |  Jan Elshout 22/12/08
      60.   x-ray on the indigenes #58 19:11  |  Yaakov Sullivan 22/12/08
      61.   X-ray.... A little more info for you 19:23  |  Steve J 22/12/08
      62.   Btselem 19:25  |  Steve J 22/12/08
      63.   Easily Understandable 19:47  |  Kumar 22/12/08
      64.   Educating x-ray etc Re: Levantine Aboriginal People 21:13  |  Gray 22/12/08
      65.   But fo course the settlers won`t show proof of sale... 21:20  |  Silvienne 22/12/08
      66.   Betselem it`s not 58% 21:55  |  The Hague 22/12/08
      67.   Always amusing 22:31  |  Scholar 22/12/08
      68.   ben alofs the settlers have been on the land 22:35  |  nijmegen 22/12/08
      69.   ben alofs possession is nine tenths of the law 22:37  |  nijmegen 22/12/08
      70.   SAM Soul (#57) I Don`t know what Golda said 22:44  |  Gil 22/12/08
      71.   Murad - please clarify so that I understand 22:45  |  David Israel 22/12/08
      72.   Response to #66 23:06  |  Nothng but the truth 22/12/08
      73.   Nothing but the truth lacks honesty #71 23:28  |  Yaakov Sullivan 22/12/08
      74.   Response to #65 (Silvienne) 23:36  |  Moshe 22/12/08
      75.   #69, nijmegen...but that doesn`t make it legal.... 23:39  |  Silvienne 22/12/08
      76.   like the crusaders - the zionists 23:39  |  Hassoun 22/12/08
      77.   Let Ben Gurion Clear This Up..... 23:58  |  Gray 22/12/08
      78.   Palestinians invaded from Egypt(Genesis 10-13&14) 23:59  |  sam 22/12/08
      79.   Nothing..truth "O the webs we weave.... 00:12  |  Gray 23/12/08
      80.   Gray (#77) would that Include? 00:44  |  Gil 23/12/08
      81.   response to #79 01:02  |  Nothng but the truth 23/12/08
      82.   Response to #3 01:20  |  Moshe 23/12/08
      83.   Gray #77 01:30  |  Moshe 23/12/08
      84.   Re: "Land without a People..."fraud 01:48  |  Gray 23/12/08
      85.   Gray, you are grasping at straws 02:06  |  Scholar 23/12/08
      86.   #80 Gil, I would like to see proof of this 02:15  |  Ben Alofs 23/12/08
      87.   #83, Moshe.... 07:04  |  Silvienne 23/12/08
      88.   Response to 86 09:10  |  moshe 23/12/08
      89.   87, Silvienne 09:38  |  moshe 23/12/08
      90.   Ben Alofs (#86) So you want proof 10:29  |  Gil 23/12/08
      91.   #85 Scholar, you need to widen your scope 11:34  |  Ben Alofs 23/12/08
      92.   Land without people fraud 12:32  |  x-ray 23/12/08
      93.   #89, Moshe... 19:05  |  Silvienne 23/12/08
      94.   93 silvienne 01:11  |  moshe 24/12/08
      95.   Moshe, the trouble is... 21:06  |  Silvienne 24/12/08
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