After weeks of attacks, Palestinian family evicted by order applying to nearby settlers; police say 'human error'

Israeli police forcibly evacuated the Palestinian Jabarin family from their home in al-Minya, a village near Bethlehem in the West Bank, on August 21 after weeks of settler attacks. Authorities later attributed the eviction order to a “human error,” acknowledging that the decision was applied mistakenly to the wrong property.

The incident occurred on Friday morning when a police officer entered the Jabarin family’s residence and ordered all occupants to leave immediately. The officer cited an eviction order allegedly issued by the Civil Administration, Israel’s military-run governing body in the West Bank. Neighbors and family members reported that Israeli settlers from nearby outposts had been harassing and attacking the Jabarin family for weeks, escalating tensions in the area.

According to local residents, settlers from the unauthorized outpost of Avigail, located close to al-Minya, had repeatedly thrown stones at the Jabarin home, blocked access roads, and threatened family members. The family, which had lived in the house for decades, said they were given no prior warning before police arrived to enforce the eviction.

An initial statement from Israeli police appeared to justify the action, asserting that the order was legally valid and that the family was present without legal authorization. However, within hours, police backtracked, saying an investigation had revealed a “human error” in identifying the correct property under the eviction order.

The Civil Administration later confirmed that the eviction notice applied to a different structure in the same area and that the Jabarin home was not subject to any legal removal proceedings. It noted that the error resulted from a mix-up in land registry records and administrative oversight.

Human rights organizations and local Palestinian officials condemned the incident as an example of systemic discrimination and abuse of power. Activists from groups like B’Tselem and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pointed out that forced displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank often follows a pattern of settler violence followed by state enforcement.

Al-Minya, a farming community southeast of Bethlehem, lies close to several Israeli settlements and outposts, making it a frequent site of land disputes and clashes. The presence of unauthorized settler outposts like Avigail has contributed to increased restrictions on Palestinian movement and access to land.

The Jabarin family has since returned to their home, but the episode has raised concerns about the use of emergency powers and administrative errors in evictions affecting Palestinian families across the West Bank.

#Eviction #WestBank #Bethlehem #JabarinFamily #IsraeliPolice #SettlerViolence #HumanRights #AlMinya