Israel imposes property tax on Palestinian family in Hebron

The municipality of the illegal Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the south of the occupied West Bank asked a Palestinian citizen to pay $22,359 in property tax for his house and farmland, Falesteen newspaper reported yesterday.

According to a group of activists it sets a “dangerous precedent”. In a statement, the activists said the municipality of Kiryat Arba asked Abdul-Karim Al-Ja’bari to pay NIS88,200 ($22,359) in taxes for his house, which is adjacent to the settlement.

Al-Ja’bari said that he was surprised when he received the invoice for the tax, and he wondered what the connection was between the Jewish municipality and the land, which he owns.

“It is an unprecedented step regarding settlements in the West Bank, which is aiming to dismiss me and my family from our land,” he said, stressing that he is to remain in his land.

For his part, activist Issa Amro described the step as “dangerous” adding that it “raises alarms of danger of the illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank”.

“This measure aims at legalising settlements, not only to expand them,” he said, noting that this is part of several settlement activities which have been imposed to Judaise the Palestinian city of Hebron.

As part of Judaising Hebron, Amro said that the Israeli occupation changes the names of main roads in the city and occupies more houses and shops in Al-Shuhada Street.