Panic erupted among Omer residents when they discovered that a private house had been sold to a buyer whose surname is "Haniyeh". The residents worried about a potential connection to the family of Ismail Haniyeh, the former Hamas leader who was eliminated in Iran last year.
The buyer, Alaa Haniyeh, who serves as CEO of a factory in southern Israel and originally hails from the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva, made clear that he bears no connection to the infamous Hamas leader after residents responded to the transaction.
Omer Council head Erez Badash responded that "all the uproar stems from the buyer's name. That's what generated the noise and commotion. When a resident named Haniyeh purchases a house, I can understand the residents' worry, since the name is associated with October 7. I don't align with calls not to sell to Arabs. We are committed to maintaining the settlement's character. The community must do its part, and the council its part... In the end, we are a free market and a democratic state."
