Palestinian and Israeli sources confirmed that a body found in a burned car Thursday morning in Jericho was that of Mahmoud Abu Al-Hawa, apparently attacked for selling East Jerusalem property to Jewish settlers.
Mahmoud Abu Al Hawa, 40, is a resident of Al Tour neighbrohoud, Mount of Olives, in east Jerusalem.
The man is accused of selling the property to settler groups that are trying to buy Arab property in east Jerusalem in an attempt to remove the Arabic population from the city.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fateh movement, claimed responsibility for killing Abu Al Hawa.
Since news about selling teh house were made public, Abu Al Hawa received several death threats.
So far, it is unknown why Abu Al Hawa went to Jericho or if he was abducted and taken there. Abu Al Hawa used to drive to Jericho frequently, and it not not clear yet if he owns another house there.
The family of Abu Al Hawa had previously published an announcement in an East Jerusalem newspaper, stating that the buildings were not sold to settlers directly, but to a Palestinian buyer who, in turn, sold the property to a Jordanian investment company.
The house was apparently sold for 1.5 million US Dollars; it is a four story-building that is also inhabited by Mohammad, the brother of Mahmoud, who lives in the first floor.
The settlers attacked the building at the beginning of March during the Israeli elections, clashes erupted between them and the Palestinian residents, and a restaurant that belongs to a member of the Abu Al Hawa family was torched.
In an interview with IMEMC reporters last week, Mahmoud’s brother Mohammed said that settlers had showed up at his apartment and opened a suitcase full of cash. He was offered $300,000 for his apartment, but refused to sell.
The area where the house is located overlooks at the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Old City of Jerusalem. This is an area that has been coveted by Israeli settlers, and is inhabited by over 50,000 Palestinians who the settlers wish to remove.
