Fighting Delegitimistion of Israel

A number of organisations, including Yachad and the Palestinian Diplomatic Mission, have drawn a great deal of attention to the case of the Sumarin family and the Israeli court’s decision over possession of a house the family claim as their own.

JNF UK, which is an independent UK charity, has no ability to influence the Israeli court’s decision. However, it is worth noting a few points which the aforementioned organisations conveniently failed to include in the information provided to supporters:

The Himnuta Association received the land currently occupied by the Sumarin family from the Israel Land Administration 20 years ago, and in exchange, transferred territory in Wadi Ara, which served to expand the Arab community there.
Himnuta operates in accordance with a court decision made in 2006, which ruled that the Sumarin family must vacate the property and pay compensation to the rightful owners of the land. Despite the court’s decision, Himnuta has been in contact with the family for the past 5 years, suggesting they leave in exchange for financial compensation.

Israel’s judiciary is important balancing branch of the country’s democratic system, and is much admired for its absolute moral clarity and negation of any political influence apparent in its decisions. In any democratic country, the rule of law is an imperative if we are to uphold our freedoms and ensure equality and tolerance of others.

There are two key points we must take into account. Firstly, the court has recognised that the current occupants illegally seized this property, and presented forged documents to try and obtain rights to this property and other properties that similarly do not belong to the Sumarin family. This is well-documented, and it is a pity that the various campaigns involved with trying to raise the issue did not include these facts. The legal record number for the case is 633/99 (you can view the court document here. As a result of the forgery, the Israeli court ruled against the Sumarin family and in favour of Himnuta as the legal owners of the property.

Secondly, it has been verified by a number of non-profit organisations that the Sumarin family owns another two-storey building in the area, which the family has rented out. The notion that they would be left without a home is simply not true.