Beit HaShalom

Beit HaShalom, ( _he. בית השלום, lit. "the House of Peace"), is a four-story structure that houses a local Hebron Jewish community of 25 families, youth and yeshiva students. The community is located on the main road linking Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/907606.html Gov't bans Hebron settlers from winterizing controversial house] Haaretz] [ [http://www.hebron.com/english/article.php?id=313 Beit HaShalom – the House of Peace – a new Jewish building in Hebron] The Jewish Community of Hebron] [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1176152784857&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Hebron settlers try to buy more homes] Jerusalem Post] The community has its roots in the historical Jewish community of Hebron as a numbers of its inhabitants are descendants of Jews who preceded the 1929 Hebron Massacre. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/938334.html Descendants of 1929 massacre survivors bought Hebron house] Haaretz]

History

In 2007, after several years of negotiating with the Palestinian owners of this structure, a deal was made in which the local Jewish community paid for the house and signed a contract giving them ownership. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/867498.html Settlers unlikely to be removed from disputed Hebron house anytime soon] Haaretz] Construction on the building by Palestinians originally designed it for mixed-use development as shops and apartments. It was purchased for $700,000 before construction was fully finished. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152794781&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Hebron settlers give up comfort to expand Jewish holdings] Jerusalem Post] On March 19, hundreds of Israelis from Hebron and Kiryat Arba arrived at the site, including yeshiva students, youth and adults who moved into the building. Rabbi Dov Lior, Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba, arrived and gave his blessings to the structure and community. [ [http://www.hebron.com/english/article.php?id=313 Beit HaShalom – the House of Peace – a new Jewish building in Hebron] The Jewish Community of Hebron] [ [http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/121891 200 Jews Enter New Building in Hevron: 'Peace House'] Arutz Sheva] The settlement was controversial in the political sphere, and though legality of the purchase was affirmed, then Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and his deputy Efraim Sneh, had stated that they would evacuate the Jewish residents, citing an order from the Israeli military's Civil Administration of the West Bank whereby the occupation or transfer of ownership of homes in the West Bank by Jews needs to be coordinated, as well as a 1980 decision that any expansion of the Jewish community be approved by the Israeli cabinet. Other politicians from both within and without the government had lent support to Beit HaShalom, MK Otniel Schneller of the ruling Kadima very prominently, and Interior Minister Roni Bar-On hinted that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would block an evacuation. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1176152774627&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Olmert won't let Peretz evacuate Hebron house] Haaretz] [ [http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/11101.htm Clash looms over newly-bought Hebron building as Peretz orders it cleared] "Israel Insider"] [ [http://www.knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/mk_eng.asp?mk_individual_id_t=776 Otniel Schneller] Knesset]

Recent events

During 2007, the Israeli media focused on the Jewish community of Beit HaShalom on numerous occasions. The most recent event, during September 2007, was a conflict that community members had with the Ministry of Defense concerning the prohibition of local families from preparing their homes for winter. [ [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/907606.html Gov't bans Hebron settlers from winterizing controversial house] Haaretz] Concerning the legality of the community's ownership of the building, the Jerusalem Post talked with the spokesperson for the Committee of The Jewish Community of Hebron. David Wilder (Hebron Spokesman) stated that he was certain that the community "had a strong claim to the structure." [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1176152784857&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Hebron settlers try to buy more homes] Jerusalem Post] On January 21, 2008, Rabbi Dov Lior of Hebron, Rabbi Ya'acov Shapira of Jerusalem's Mercaz haRav Yeshiva, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon of Elon Moreh, and Rabbi Nahum Rabinovitch of Ma'aleh Adumim met at Beit HaShalom to declare the government's policies on Israeli settlements to be "worse than the British Mandate's White Paper." [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1200572509757&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Rightist rabbis brand gov't policy on settlements worse than White Paper] Jerusalem Post]

In March 2008 Beit HaShalom was finally allowed to install windows, removing the nylon covers they had before, however, afterwards the screens in the windows were removed since the permission "was for windows not for shades".

ee also

* Evacuation (Israeli politics)
* Har Hebron Regional Council
* Israeli settlement
* Judea
* Mount Hebron

References

External links

* [http://www.hebron.com/english/ The Jewish Community of Hebron]
* [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1200572480872&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Settlers get three more months on 'Worshipers' Way']