According to the residents of the Machpelah Building in Hebron, Defense Minister Ehud Barak appears determined to oust them from the legally acquired building before yomtov.

The building, which they explain was purchased with donor funds, has become the epicenter of internal government strife today, Tuesday, 11 Nissan 5772 as Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued an eviction order and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is calling to delay implementation of that order.

Earlier this week, Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz, a member of the prime minister’s Likud Party visited the building and affixed a mezuzah. Katz feels Barak does not have the right to make this decision unilaterally, but a decision of this magnitude must be made by the entire cabinet.

In the interim, the Civil Administration, which is under Barak’s authority, has given the residents of the building until 15:00 today (08:00 EST) to submit the documentation attesting to the valid purchase of the building. Hebron’s PA (Palestinian Authority) mayor is already telling the media the purchase is bogus and the papers are forged. Civil Administration officials are preparing for a forced eviction of the building if officials in Barak’s office reject the validity of the documents being presented by Hebron’s Jewish leadership. Such an eviction will be expeditious according to messages leaked to the media by Civil Administration officials.

In the Prime Minister’s Office, officials are working to avoid a forced expulsion and the unwanted media coverage that will accompany such an event.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)