A Muslim gang stole land documents from the Bethlehem Magistrate’s court and “sold” Christian property to other Muslims. The Jerusalem Post‘s Khaled Abu Toameh reports:
A Christian businessman told the Post that most of the victims were Christian families living in the US and Latin America. “They are stealing our homes almost every day,” he said. “We believe the suspects have been receiving help from some Palestinian security officers here.”….
Ta’mari said one common method of land theft was as follows: Someone forges ownership of a piece of land and registers it under his name. Then an accomplice pretends he has illegally seized the land.
The first person sues the accomplice, using the forged documents. The court then rules in favor of the first person, turning him into the “legal” owner. The proceedings take place without the knowledge of the real owner, who usually lives abroad.
The report also refers to an interview last January when the town’s Christians spoke out against the phenomenon.
