Gang Arrested for Plotting to Sell Palestinian Land to Israeli Settlement Firms

General view of the Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the occupied West Bank February 7, 2017. (Reuters)
General view of the Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the occupied West Bank February 7, 2017. (Reuters)
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Gang Arrested for Plotting to Sell Palestinian Land to Israeli Settlement Firms

General view of the Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the occupied West Bank February 7, 2017. (Reuters)
General view of the Israeli settlement of Efrat, in the occupied West Bank February 7, 2017. (Reuters)

Palestinian intelligence managed to arrest a gang that was suspected of selling Palestinian property to Israel, a high-ranking intelligence source said on Monday.

The suspects worked as an organized gang. Four of the detainees, including a lawyer, acted as the leaders of this group. They are suspected of planning to sell Palestinian lands to Israeli settlement firms.

The lands are spread in several regions, including Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Nablus and Tulkarm. A 48-year Arab Palestinian broker residing in Israel aided the suspects in their operations.

Palestinian intelligence reported that one of the fugitive suspects, along with the broker, is currently taking shelter in Israel. The cost of the deals, had they been struck, would have reached 8 million Jordanian dinars.

After completing intelligence follow-up procedures, the suspects were arrested and all measures they were taking to complete the deal were stopped. The suspects were referred to the Public Prosecution to carry on legal procedures.

The Palestinian intelligence requested that citizens exercise full caution when selling land, especially in the Israeli-occupied Jerusalem, border regions and areas close to settlements, stressing that citizens should notify relevant authorities regarding any suspicious activity.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.