Court Orders Evacuation of Machpela House

Israel’s High Court ruled on Monday that a group of squatters in Machpela House in Chevron must vacate the premises after judges determined that they had failed to prove ownership, according to media reports.

Fifteen families, altogether almost 100 people, have been living in the& building,& adjacent to Maaras Hamachpelah, since July 25.

The Court accepted the position taken by state attorneys on the matter, finding that the status of the disputed property had not changed since it was last evacuated in 2012.

Late last August they were given a week to leave before the army would be ordered to remove them by force if necessary.

The families claimed they had purchased the property& legally& and that the registration document the government said they were missing was not required for them to reside there.

Various delays ensued in the disposition of their case, including a court order temporarily delaying the evacuation. That order was canceled with Monday’s decision.