Jewish settlers on Saturday took over a house in Wadi Hilweh neighborhood in the east Jerusalem district of Silwan after its owner reportedly “leaked” it to the “Ateret Cohanim” settler group.
In a statement the Wadi Hilweh Information Center said that the house is located in the south of the Aqsa Mosque and belonged to Waleed Ahmed Attout.
Wadi Hilweh Center stated that over 20 settlers escorted by police forces broke open the house’s locks a few hours after local residents from the neighborhood put them on its doors upon receiving information that the owner obtained money for the house and left the area.
After breaking into the house the settlers embarked on installing security cameras around the house and protective bars on its windows and walls and removing pieces of the furniture to the yard according to the center.
“About a week ago there was a talk about selling it to unknown parties before noted figures from Silwan town and members of local committees spoke with the property owner called Waleed Attout who denied selling the house and pointed out that he received a purchase offer from Turkish parties but he refrained from that” the center explained
It added that after that meeting with him the owner remained in the house with his family until Thursday morning when he fled the area secretly leaving the furniture clothing and many other personal belongings behind.
The center noted that “following investigations conducted by the local committees and authorities during the last days it was found that Attout sold his house to a buyer from the 1948 occupied territory (Israel) before the latter handed it over to a contractor for renovations”
However local officials contacted the buyer to know the truth and asked him to come to the place for further talk but he refused to come and denied that he leaked the house claiming that he bought the house to turn it into a clinic the center elaborated adding that the renovation contractor showed up in the morning but found a chance to flee from the area after he talked with Silwan officials.
