When I visited Hebron, in 1969, we were told (I was part of a Zionist Federation tour!) that Hebron was the most hostile of places we would visit. My main memory though was of a bustling, haggling market where the guy whose aladdin lamp I was interested in came back after me offering a better deal. He won out! What is outrageous is that this lively, vigorous city has been sliced in two, the Palestinians penned, Shuhada Street closed, in order that the settlers – who are the most racist settlers on the West Bank (Meir Kahane’s Kach/Thus fascist movement is strong in the nearby Kiryat Arba settlement) and where 29 Palestinians were murdered by a settler Baruch Goldstein some years ago. There is now a memorial to Goldstein in the settlement – so much for their opposition to ‘terrorism’.
Israeli military forcibly suppress a demonstration against
the visit of Reuben Rivlin, President of the Israeli State
the visit of Reuben Rivlin, President of the Israeli State
Electronic Intifada, 6th February 2015, Ali Abunimah
(Ismael
Mohamad / United Press International)
Mohamad / United Press International)
Submitted
by Ali Abunimah on Fri, 02/06/2015 – 00:17
by Ali Abunimah on Fri, 02/06/2015 – 00:17
This
video shows Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank city of Hebron attacking a peaceful demonstration against a visit
by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on 2 February.
video shows Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank city of Hebron attacking a peaceful demonstration against a visit
by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on 2 February.
It shows
Palestinian adults and children carrying signs saying “Rivlin is not welcome”
and “Open Shuhada Street” and shouting slogans like “No occupation.”
Palestinian adults and children carrying signs saying “Rivlin is not welcome”
and “Open Shuhada Street” and shouting slogans like “No occupation.”
Israeli
occupation forces fire sound grenades and tear gas directly at the protestors,
sending them fleeing. Toward the end, there are scenes of several people
carrying an apparently injured person to safety.Media
reports say one person was injured.
occupation forces fire sound grenades and tear gas directly at the protestors,
sending them fleeing. Toward the end, there are scenes of several people
carrying an apparently injured person to safety.Media
reports say one person was injured.
 |
|
Palestinians hold banners and flags during a demonstration against the visit of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on 2 February. (Mamoun Wazwaz / APA images)
|
Shuhada Street was once the
old city’s thriving main thoroughfare, but has been closed to Hebron’s more
than 200,000 Palestinians for years to allow a few hundred settlers free reign.
old city’s thriving main thoroughfare, but has been closed to Hebron’s more
than 200,000 Palestinians for years to allow a few hundred settlers free reign.
Rivlin
was in Hebron to visit Jewish-only settlements in the city, including Kiryat Arba, once the home of
Baruch Goldstein, the American settler who massacred 29 Palestinian men and boys in 1994.
was in Hebron to visit Jewish-only settlements in the city, including Kiryat Arba, once the home of
Baruch Goldstein, the American settler who massacred 29 Palestinian men and boys in 1994.
Exploiting tragedy
Rivlin
inaugurated the so-called “Hebron Heritage Museum,” a settler project aimed at
justifying Israel’s colonial presence in the city, financed by the
Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund.
inaugurated the so-called “Hebron Heritage Museum,” a settler project aimed at
justifying Israel’s colonial presence in the city, financed by the
Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund.
The
museum ostensibly commemorates the killing of several dozen Jewish residents in
1929, as the Zionist movement’s determined colonization of Palestine sparked
growing intercommunal clashes throughout the country.
museum ostensibly commemorates the killing of several dozen Jewish residents in
1929, as the Zionist movement’s determined colonization of Palestine sparked
growing intercommunal clashes throughout the country.
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| Extremist Zionist settlers aim for Palestinians – Click here for more images |
Jewish
settlers, many from the United States, use the 1929 tragedy as a justification
for their occupation and violent takeover of the city today.
settlers, many from the United States, use the 1929 tragedy as a justification
for their occupation and violent takeover of the city today.
But many
descendants of the Jewish minority that had lived in Hebron and lost relatives
in the 1929 violence have rejected the settlers’ efforts to exploit the
tragedy.
descendants of the Jewish minority that had lived in Hebron and lost relatives
in the 1929 violence have rejected the settlers’ efforts to exploit the
tragedy.
As the Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 1997, the Hebron
descendants “accuse the settlers of exploiting the massacre’s memory while
fostering anti-Arab violence.”
descendants “accuse the settlers of exploiting the massacre’s memory while
fostering anti-Arab violence.”
Histories
of the massacre never emphasized by the settlers record that many Jews, who had
lived in Hebron peacefully for generations, were saved by their Muslim neighbors.
of the massacre never emphasized by the settlers record that many Jews, who had
lived in Hebron peacefully for generations, were saved by their Muslim neighbors.
In 2013,
several Palestinians victimized by settlers sued the Hebron Fund and four
other US-based organizations for allegedly providing “material support” to a
“foreign terrorist organization.”
several Palestinians victimized by settlers sued the Hebron Fund and four
other US-based organizations for allegedly providing “material support” to a
“foreign terrorist organization.”
Violent stronghold
Kiryat
Arba, also visited by Rivlin, is notorious as a stronghold of some of the most
racist and violent of hundreds of thousands of armed Israeli settlers occupying
hundreds of locations in the West Bank in violation of international law.
Arba, also visited by Rivlin, is notorious as a stronghold of some of the most
racist and violent of hundreds of thousands of armed Israeli settlers occupying
hundreds of locations in the West Bank in violation of international law.
A few
months ago, video caught Kiryat Arba settlers cheering as Israeli occupation
forces abused a developmentally disabled Palestinian
child.
months ago, video caught Kiryat Arba settlers cheering as Israeli occupation
forces abused a developmentally disabled Palestinian
child.
Maverick
Rivlin, a
member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, is
often spoken of as a maverick. He opposes a two-state solution, promotes “dialogue” and ostensibly urges
more inclusion of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, is
often spoken of as a maverick. He opposes a two-state solution, promotes “dialogue” and ostensibly urges
more inclusion of Palestinian citizens of Israel.
But as
this video shows, when Rivlin comes to town, the only way Israel addresses
Palestinians appealing peacefully for their rights is with routine brute force.
this video shows, when Rivlin comes to town, the only way Israel addresses
Palestinians appealing peacefully for their rights is with routine brute force.
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