Fatah official: Palestinians who sold homes to Jews in east Jerusalem should die

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police guarded Jewish settlers as they moved into seven homes in a Palestinian neighborhood of east Jerusalem on Tuesday.

The homes in Silwan, which sits in the shadow of Jerusalem's Old City, were purchased by Elad, a pro-settlement group that uses funds from Jewish supporters in the United States and elsewhere to buy properties in Palestinian districts.

Tuesday's move was the largest purchase of homes in Silwan since the process began in the neighborhood in 1986, taking to 26 the number of Jewish-owned properties, local officials said. Around 90 Jewish families, totaling 500 people, live in Silwan among some 50,000 Palestinians. Israeli police protect them.

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Relatives said one of Karaeen's sons had sold a dwelling inside the grounds of the family home to a Palestinian broker about a year ago for 1.2 million shekels ($300,000), around twice as much as the property was probably worth.

Karaeen refused to speak to visitors on Tuesday, with family members saying he was too ashamed by what his son had done. Karaeen's brother said he had spoken by phone to the son, who had fled to the north of Israel.

In the past, Palestinians found to have sold their homes to settler organizations have been killed.

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Asked what would happen to the son and the broker to whom he had sold the property, Maragha said he felt they should die, but he did not expect that to happen.

"We know who the broker is. He's living in a town south of Jerusalem," he said. "But he's rich and he's protected, including by the Israelis."