Twenty Israeli families took possession of two disputed houses in the city of Hebron, near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, dubbed the Houses of Rachel and Leah.

Residents say the buildings were purchased by the Harhivi Makom Ohalech organization, a? NGO dedicated to “liberating homes in the city of our forefathers and explaining the tremendous Torah, historic and national value of redeeming the Land of Israel. Organization members tried once before, in January 2016, to take possession of the property but were evicted by the IDF a day later.

Harhivi insists that the homes were purchased lawfully, though they have not presented documentation supporting the claim,and that settlement of the homes was approved by the Defense Ministry.

“By entering these homes, we are continuing the way of our father Abraham in redeeming the land of Israel. Faced with all the challenges and with all those who are trying to cut off the continuation of our expansion in the city of the patriarchs we declare today that the people of Israel have made a historical step in the redemption of the land,” a representative of Harhivi told Tazpit Press Service (TPS).

The attempt is not the first time Hebron residents have tried to take possession of disputed property in the city. Two other properties in the area, Machpelah House and the Peace House (also purchased by Harhivi Makom Ohalech), have repeatedly been the targets of purchase/residency attempts, which have been nixed by the political echelon, which ordered the IDF to evict them.

The Peace house was entered by settlers for the first time in March of 2007 and was evacuated in December 2008. In March 2014 Israeli courts ruled that the house was purchased lawfully, and a month later, it was resettled by three Jewish families.

The Machpelah house was settled by Jews for the first time in March of 2012, only to be evacuated and sealed up by the authorities a week later. It was resettled in July of 2017, with the Supreme Court ordering it’s evacuation last week.Many of those evacuated from Machpelah House have now resettled in the Rachel and Leah houses.

Peace Now blasted the move, calling the residents “outlaws” who “invaded” private Palestinian homes. “This is an unbelievable insolence. A group of outlaws have invaded these homes, and we hope the government won’t allow this contempt to continue, and will evacuate them before the court orders it. Only two weeks ago, the Supreme Court ruled that the settlers must evacuate the Machpelah House because they could not provide proof of purchase [of the house]; in the case of the Rachel and Leah properties, the settlers haven’t even reached the point where they can apply for a request of initial registration.

“Although the Civil Administration has granted them a permit in recent days, it does not constitute proof of ownership, and the Palestinian owners, who claim there was no sale, have yet to be heard [by the authorities],” Peace Now said.