Jewish settlers ignore evacuation order

HEBRON, West Bank (CNN) -- Jewish settlers in the West Bank town of Hebron ignored a court-ordered deadline to evacuate a building in the divided city Wednesday, setting themselves up for a possible confrontation with the Israeli military.

The Israeli high court ruled Sunday that settlers had until noon Wednesday to leave the disputed property voluntarily, while it rules on the legal deed to the land. If they do not leave, they will be evicted within 30 days, according to the court judgment.

"There is a directive from the High Court of Justice, and we will comply with it," Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, told Army Radio on Wednesday. But he emphasized the need for dialogue.

"We are not talking about enemies," he said. "These are Israelis, citizens of the state of Israel, who are subject to the law."

Israeli settlers moved into the building last year, claiming they bought it from a Palestinian man who says no deal was made. The court must still settle that issue.

Hebron is one of the most contested cities in the West Bank. It is home to approximately 160,000 Palestinians and 500 Israelis.

It is also the location of the Cave of the Patriarch, a religious site holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and has been the site of high-profile violence between Palestinians and Israelis.

Settlers in the area were taking no chances ahead of the Wednesday deadline. More than 1,000 convened an emergency meeting in a neighboring town on Tuesday to discuss the possible eviction.

"The state of Israel has become the enemy of the people and the land of Israel," settler Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe said at the meeting, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Nissim Zeev, an Israeli member of the Knesset from the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, opened an office in the four-story building in a sign of solidarity. Nine families made up of 70 people live at the property.

Zeev called on other Knesset members to join him in Hebron.

Settlers presented Zeev with evidence they have gathered relating to the legality of the purchase. This includes a videotape of the original homeowner counting the cash the settlers claim to have paid him when they purchased the property.

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