Updated: BEIT MACHPELA EXPULSION PUT ON HOLD - update: surprise expulsion completed

Update: 

Security forces evacuated disputed Hebron home Beit Hamachpela on Wednesday afternoon with no disturbances. The evacuation came as a surprise, following earlier reports that the home would not be evacuated until April 25.  

The evacuation came after Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein informed the prime minister and the defense minister that, in his opinion, the house must be evacuated without delay.  

The attorney-general insisted that there was no need for a government decision to be made regarding the eviction, and that the eviction must be enforced immediately, because of the importance of maintaining the rule of law. 

The latest news is that the prime minister has announced that any expulsion of Jews from their legally bought house in Hevron is not taking place now:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said the proposed evacuation of Beit Hamachpela (House of the Patriarchs) is on hold until the facts can be verified.

"I am coordinating with the defense minister. I asked him to hold off on the evacuation so we can establish the legal facts in this case, and that is what we are doing," Netanyahu said. [...]

Barak had said he would force the issue, but has apparently backed down in the face of united and angry opposition from Netanyahu's ruling Likud party.

Of particular note is that Barak's push to evict the families at Beit Hamachpela was based not on a court challenge to the purchase, but the families’ failure to properly validate the sale with his ministry.

The families say they moved in after the sale fearing the building – uninhabited – would be occupied by local Arabs before the Civil Administration validated their purchase.

Several Likud lawmakers have charged Barak is seeking to use the issue as an electoral ploy – his Independence party continues to poll beneath the requisite threshold to be seated should elections be held.

Since when did sale of a property have to be tied in with the defense ministry? It's the families' money and purchase, it's their business, not the government's.

It has to be made clear that from now on, whenever a Jewish source makes a purchase like this, the IDF and come to think of it, anyone for that matter, would do well to remain silent and be completely oblivious to it. Drawing attention is something they'd do well to avoid.