Government to remove settlers from contested Hebron home, court hears

State attorneys tell the High Court of Justice that they plan to remove Israeli squatters who have been staying in a disputed house in Hebron.

Some 15 Israeli families in mid-July moved into Machpela House, which for years has been at the center of legal wrangling over claims of ownership by a group of Jewish families, who say they bought the site, and Palestinians, who say the purchase document was forged.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit has ruled that the families must be evacuated, the state tells the court on Sunday.

Mandelblit has granted the military another week to attempt to coax the squatters out and “evacuate the building peacefully,” the state says in a High Court hearing on the subject. If the negotiations fail, they will be ordered to evacuate the site by force.