The burden of proof of ownership fell on the landowner, who seldom had the means to meet the legal costs of challenging the government order and who faced prohibitive property taxes if his claim to the land was upheld by the courts. All the Israeli laws sanctioning or facilitating the expropriation of Arab land are in blatant violation of the Geneva Convention, which requires the maintenance of the status quo in conquered territories. Sabri Garib troubles began in 1978 when the Israelis built the settlement of Givon Haddashah on land adjacent to his. Israeli extremists went to work: Garib's lawyers received several telephone threats and were subjected to harassment that included the painting of threatening slogans on their cars. Land seizure began soon after the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967. Having completed the expropriation of most of the land that qualified as public land, the Israeli government resorted to annexing more land for 'security reasons'.