The PA says it's illegal for Palestinians to sell land to foreigners (read, Israelis). But how illegal is a different manner. The LA Times picks up on a Bethlehem man going through the grinder of PA justice for selling land to Jews.
The unidentified man was sentenced to five years in prison with hard labor, and the possibility of being executed.
But an appeals court labeled the sale "a commercial transaction with a member of an enemy state for personal gain or greed," which didn't harm national security. The ruling: misdemeanor, two years in prison without hard labor, removing the specter of execution.
The PA's attorney general convinced the courts to reinstate the felony ruling. But the Times adds:
As the battle of the courts continues, a proposed Palestinian law, intended to replace the Jordanian law, also bans the sale of property to foreigners, including Israelis, and classifies the sale of property to Israelis as a felony but not punishable by death.
Under pressure from human-rights organizations, the Palestinian Authority has decided to abolish capital punishment.
That's a relief.
For comparison, last year, the Israeli media reported that Galilee farmers were selling agricultural land to investors from Persian Gulf states with no ties to Israel. Officials from the Israel Land Administration said — like it or not — they couldn't intervene as the transaction involved privately-owned land . . .
