Three Israelis Suspected of Using Forged Documents to Buy West Bank Land

Three Jerusalem residents were detained for questioning Monday on suspicion of using forged documents to purchase land in the West Bank from the Palestinian owners.

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Police suspect the three signed off on more than 10 deals worth millions of shekels, primarily in the West Bank’s Binyamin region. The three allegedly knew the documents they signed were false. The police are investigating whether they were the ones who forged them.

The elite Lahav 433 unit kept its investigation secret for months, making it public only on Monday, when the three men were picked up for questioning. Police also searched their homes and offices, confiscating documents and computers.

The three are suspected of aggravated forgery, making use of a forged document, fraud and tax violations.

Police said that some of the transactions made by the suspects have already been challenged in petitions to the High Court of Justice. The petitioners claimed that the owners of the properties did not consent to their sale, in which forged documents were used.