Settlers boycott Palestinian garage over High Court petition
Residents of the Netiv Ha’avot outpost in Gush Etzion, which is slated for evacuation by March 2018, call on residents of all nearby communities to stop using the services of Ali’s Garage after learning that its owner joined a Peace Now petition to remove the outpost. ‘They robbed me of my land and now they want to take away my livelihood,’ he says.
Residents of the Netiv Ha’avot outpost in Gush Etzion, which is slated for evacuation following a High Court petition, have declared a boycott on a Palestinian garage owner who was among the petitioners.
After Amona, Netiv Ha’avot will likely be next in line for evacuation. The High Court has ruled that because the outpost was built on privately-owned Palestinian land, it must be demolished by March 2018. Although it’s still far off, the 50 families living in the outpost have already launched a battle against the future evacuation.
The High Court petition was filed by the Peace Now movement and joined by eight petitioners, including Ali Mohammed Issa from the Palestinian town of al-Khader. Issa is the owner of Ali’s Garage, which is located in the area and serves the residents of nearby communities, including quite a lot of settlers.
Upon learning that Issa was one of the petitioners, the outpost’s residents decided to stop using his services and urged other residents of the area to do the same. “We sat with him a few times, we offered him money and alternative land, but because of pressure from the Palestinian Authority, he refused,” says Netiv Ha’avot resident Yochai Shalev. “The goal is to pressure him financially to pull the petition. It’s unthinkable that we would provide work to a man who wants to remove us from our home.”
Acting Gush Etzion Regional Council head Moshe Seville says that the boycott is understandable and that joining it would be an obvious human act. “There is nothing more reasonable than residents helping their neighbors and protesting against a person threatening their home,” he explains.
Issa is concerned about the boycott, fearing serious financial damage. “They are stooping to a low level. Such a boycott affects the food I bring my children. It’s my livelihood. They robbed me of my land and now they want to take away my livelihood. How can anyone do such a thing?”
In 2009, the Civil Administration issued a demolition order against his garage, claiming it was built illegally. Ali petitioned the decision and an interim order was issued, leaving the situation unchanged. To this very day, the state has yet to submit its response to the issue.
"This is how delinquency is rewarded,” says Ovad Arad, director of field operations at the Regavim movement, which monitors illegal Arab construction.
Peace Now, which initiated the petition, slammed the boycott against the Palestinian land owner.
“It’s a despicable act,” the movement said in a statement. “They robbed his land and are now trying to rob him of his livelihood. If the Gush Etzion settlers stand behind their declarations of cooperating with their neighbors, they should let him be. His only sin is wanting to regain possession of his land.”
