PA security forces arrest suspects involved in sale of homes to settlers on outskirts of Jericho

Palestinian Authority security forces spokesman Anwar Rajab says in an interview with Palestinian radio that several suspects have been arrested in connection with what he describes as the “takeover of land in the Ad-Duyuk area of Jericho,” referring to settlers who purchased homes in the area and moved into them last week.

The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reports that those arrested were brokers involved in transferring the homes to settlers and that they have been remanded in custody for 15 days.

Palestinian Authority law prohibits the sale of land to an “enemy state” or its citizens, including Israeli citizens. In practice, the provision is enforced primarily against sales to Israeli Jews, instead of to Arab citizens of Israel.

Ad-Duyuk al-Tahta, a suburb of Jericho and the location of the purchased homes, is located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli civil and security control under the Oslo Accords.

According to reports, the homes purchased by the settlers are located on state land, and the Palestinians who built them did so illegally.