Police probing rightist MK over fake West Bank outpost deal
Yisrael Beiteinu MK, settler leaders allegedly forged land registry documents to set up outpost.
By Uri Blau Tags: Israel settlements Israel news Israel settlersPolice are investigating suspicions of document fraud involving the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu), secretary general of the Amana settlement housing group, Ze'ev "Zambish" Hever, and prominent settlement leader Yoel Tzur.
Rotem appears in the suspected documents as an attorney, and police said that while they are aware of Rotem's alleged involvement in the affair, he has not been questioned yet.
The investigation centers on land in the outpost of Jabal Artis ("Pisgat Yaakov"), located in the municipal borders of the settlement of Beit El.
The outpost was set up in February 2001 on privately owned land, and today is home to several dozens families, some in trailers and some in permanent structures.
About a year ago, the land's registered owner, Hirbi Mustafa, filed a complaint on trespassing against the settlers. Mustafa and another man registered as the land owner also appealed to the Supreme Court,with the assistance of non-profit organization Yesh Din, requesting an injunction prohibiting occupation of the buildings.
The appeal listed the appellees as the defense minister, the Civil Administration, the local council of Beit El and the "Company for development of the Yeshiva Center of Beit El A and Beit El B, Ltd."
Already occupied
The company's response to the appeal stated that all buildings listed have already been occupied, so the very request was theoretical. The company also claimed the state participated in sponsoring the infrastructure allowing the construction of the outpost.
The court was also presented with a document purported to be a sale agreement of the land concerned. The document was notarized by Jerusalem lawyer Yitshak Salomon, and was dated June 2000.
It lists a person by the name of Ibrahim Judah Mustafa and the Amana settlement group as parties, and contains a statement by Mustafa asserting he was the legal owner of the land. Clause 6 of the agreement says that "to ensure the fulfillment of the commitment acknowledged in this contract, the seller will grant irrevocable power of attorney to David Rotem, to carry out in his name and in his place any activity to fulfill his commitments according to the contract."
However, the land registry documents for this plot of land make no mention of any person named Ibrahim Judah Mustafa, and bears no reference to the transaction alleged in the contract.
Yaron Kosteliz, who represents the Beit El Yeshiva Center, said the sale documents were authentic, but added the seller may have deceived the Amana group and did not really own the land. Kosteliz also said the reason the sale was not entered in the land registry was fear for the seller's life.
"Recently, this threat was removed, and therefore, as was stated to the Supreme Court, we intended to request the land to be registered in our name in the coming weeks."
Rotem, a resident of Efrat in Gush Etzion and a father of five, is the current chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and sits on the Judicial Appointments Committee. Prior to his election to the Knesset earlier this year, Rotem has owned a law firm in Jerusalem and served as legal adviser to the Yesha settlers council, Amana, and several local councils.
He had also represented several settler leaders accused of killing Palestinians, including some members of the Jewish underground of the 1980s, Rabbi Moshe Levinger and chairman of the Mateh Binyamin regional council Pinchas Wallerstein.
Speaking to Haaretz, Rotem said he had no knowledge of the alleged transaction, and claimed Amana listed him as an attorney without informing him, as he worked for the movement at the time. The MK said he had never seen the documents before and had no part in formulating the deal.
"I made every effort not to be involved in those deals, and I wasn't involved in this on, I'm quite sure ... since I was the permanent lawyer for Amana, they may have told the seller, 'David Rotem is our lawyer, so would you please list him as attorney.' No action was requested of me in this deal, so they didn't even have to show me the document."
When asked whether naming a lawyer as attorney in documents of which he had no knowledge was a regular procedure at Amana, Rotem said it was "perfectly legitimate and regular for a body that has a permanent lawyer to say, put down my lawyer as the attorney, without necessarily letting the lawyer know."
"I wasn't questioned by the police and I assume I won't be questioned, either," Rotem said. "They will check whether the document is real or not. They'll go to Mr. Salomon, and tell him 'someone claims the documents are faked, would you please say how you signed those when the [registered owner of the land] says he doesn't know who you are and has never met you'."
Salomon would not reply to Haaretz questions, citing lawyer-client confidentiality.
Hever did not respond to requests for comment. Kosteliz, who responded on behalf of Tzur, said: "I believe and hope the ownership issue will become clear in the course of the police investigation. It goes without saying the Beit El Yeshiva center will act in accordance to the results of the investigation."
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MK David Rotem in knesset on Tuesday. Tess Scheflan |
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You conveniently omit the fact that the Hebrews got their title for the land by conquering someone else who was then its owner. The Romans just were the next link in the chain of ownership. You got it by conquest; you lost it the same way. Why is the title of one conqueror any more valid than that of any other conqueror?
first of all you forget in your well turned-out comment to mention who owns the land before the jews get in, since history books let us that was not empty before you come. second the time where you can grab from their owners just because it’s the land that you seize by force or God give it to you it over , now law and order rules OK,
That these 21 or 23 illegal outposts would arleady be dismantled by now? Why does the US never ask, at least publically, about their stalling on that promise that goes back some yrs now without anything subatantial being done?
Apparently when it comes to this kind of fraud, of taking advantage and lying to achieve a zionist goal, then the yeshivas ans the rabbis of thse colonists give it a hechsher. Let them know, that the land will vomit them out or their fate will be like that of the king and his queen in the story of the Nabot and the recompense for covetousness.
"Police are investigating suspicions of document fraud involving the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beiteinu), secretary general of the Amana settlement housing group, Ze'ev "Zambish" Hever, and prominent settlement leader Yoel Tzur." That tells you all you ever need to know about Israel's "settlers" i.e. colonists.
has moved on a bit in recent years? There was no law against colonialism at the time Steve refers to. Then came the UN, the international courts and a new set of rules, which forbid land seizure by force. What the Spanish did in South America, the British in Australia, etc., etc., is ancient history. The watershed was 1948, that's when the rules changed. That is why Israel gets no support from any country in the world for its settlements or land annexation and lots of hostile UN resolutions. What it is doing breaks international law in at least three respects. So enough with these weary, inaccurate comparisons with bygone, lawless days, time for Israel to deal in the here and now.
You can go back to the dawn of time to make excuses but it will never be condoned by any right thinking person. What you are doing to the Palestinians is immoral, illegal and savage. It goes against everything God taught us. You will never have peace of mind or heart until you start to live by His word.
Just as easy as stealing an entire continent.And also its inhabitants children? Ring any bells?
To all but a small minority of people who deny history, the Land of Israel, including Judea and Samaria, belonged to the Jewish State which was destroyed by Rome in 70 CE, expropriating the property of the Jews and slaughtering over 1,000,000 of them. Following war after war, in which the territory passed from one conquerer to another, so did the "ownership" of this land. At some point, this Arab Mustafa "acquired" his land from some gang who conquered it from someone else. Why is his title to land that was definitely owned by Jews honored whereas the Jewish title is not? Whom did Mustafa buy his land from? How did he get it? By what moral right does a person who bought land from someone who stole it get to keep it? If property rights are to be respected, they should be respected regardless of who the owner is. That means, that if Mustafa's property rights are to be respected, so should be the rights of the Jewish "settlers".
This certainly is no singular issue, such phony documents have turned up in countless alleged "land deals" by settlers and their organisations. I have never read that anyone went to jail for this. And just look at the argument of the settler group before the court: "all buildings listed have already been occupied, so the very request was theoretical." Oh, yeah, sure, because the theft was successful, there is no legal issue anymore! Wow, that's chuzpe.
Is Israel's continued building in East Jerusalem and expansion of West Bank settlements primarily motivated by real estate money? I once thought it was ideology and politics.
its all done in the name of GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the promis land . the killing , the road closers the hunger of other people,the prisoners , the lies over and over, its all done in the name of DOD, thats what the settlers be saying. well your GOD is not my GOD so i do not belive in your GOD . what are you going to do . i do not beleve in your GOD.................
is it kosher to steal from anon jewesh? and if yes what GOD that ok sutch theft. think then answer.
It can't be for mine -- it only deepens my hostility. The true believers don't need it -- who needs proof of ownership if you're Jewish, the land is Israel, and the other party is gentile? So who is it all for? Those who can't look at what's on the end of the fork -- but want to eat it anyway?
So much for the party that touted itself as the party of law and order. Only insofar as it serves their political purposes...
I'm sure this goes on very often. Luckily this is one of the few times where the crooks were actually caught. Who knows how many Palestinians are out there who have had their land stolen by fraud like this. Its sad.
And in the end, the Palestinians will have their land stolen.
"Yaron Kosteliz, who represents the Beit El Yeshiva Center, said the sale documents were authentic, but added the seller may have deceived the Amana group and did not really own the land." And if you turn around and look at it from the OTHER angle you'll see how an unscrupulous settler could abuse that "logic". As in....... Zionist: Oiy! You! Sell this land to me! Arab: Errr, what?!? That isn't my land. Zionist: Doesn't matter. Sell it to me anyway. Arab: Errr, OK, but what's the point? Zionist: My good man, all I need to do is show that SOMEONE sold it to me, and that makes this transaction Kosher. How easy is that, heh?
What do you expect from a government formed by crooked members of Knesset...