Settlers move into East Jerusalem building

Dozens of settlers have moved into a 12-apartment building in the East Jerusalem village of Silwan, saying it was sold to the right-wing Ateret Cohanim organization, local residents say.

The Palestinian news agency Ma’an quotes the Wadi Hilweh Information Center as saying that more than 60 settlers entered the building in the Batn al-Hawa neighborhood at 2:30 a.m. The settlers were accompanied by IDF troops, Ma’an says.

Ateret Cohanim has in recent weeks issued an evacuation notice for the building, Israel’s Haaretz daily says, on the grounds that the true owners are Jews. The newspaper says the building’s Palestinian owners have apparently reached some kind of monetary arrangement with the organization.