Many of our closest contacts have been affected. In particular, the family of Atta Jaber has had all of its land confiscated with the exception of the land on which their house is built. Other contacts report that settlements in the North, South, and East of the district are expanding at an increased rate. In the past, we have seen that letters to the U.S. State Department have been effective when sent in sufficient numbers. We ask all of our supporters, Canadians and U.S. citizens, to send letters and faxes to the U.S. State Department demanding that the Bush administration use its influence to halt all land confiscations and seizures by Israel in the Occupied Territories.
International law forbids the confiscation of land by an occupying power.
Israel has already confiscated more than one-third of the land in the Hebron district. Many of the families whose land has recently been confiscated have deeds from the Ottoman Empire proving their ownership. President George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings that supports violence reduction efforts around the world.