Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Hebron..settlers victim

The violence in Hebron is a never end story. It has started long time ago after the Israeli occupation that took place in 1967. since that time, Israeli authorities took every needed action to enhance and increase the Jewish population and touch by building big settlements and taking many lands that belong to Palestinians by force. When it comes to Hebron, it is always about history and religion for both Jewish and Muslims. The core issue for such conflict is always the old city of Hebron and specifically, the Ibrahim Mosque (according to Jews it is called Abraham cave), which is the heart of the old city. Both sides agree that this place belongs to the prophet Ibrahim (or Abraham). However, both sides claim that the prophet belongs to them. Israeli authorities have already built many settlements in Hebron since 1967 and those settlements are considered as biggest settlements in the West Bank, such as Keryat Arba. In addition, settlers took by force many Palestinian houses inside the old city and created what is known as the Jewish neighbor. Those settlers are mostly trouble makers and they have been abusing the Palestinian population under the protection of the Israeli army. The religious settlers also took by force part of the Ibrahim mosque and turn to a Jewish temple. However, one of the biggest abuse events was the bloody massacre of the Ibrahim Mosque "also called Al- Haram Al – Ibraheme massacre" that was committed by one of Keryat Arba settlers Barokh Goldshtayen in 1995. The settler entered the mosque early morning while the prayers were praying Al – Fajer pray and open shooting on them, killing and injuring most of them. That particular incidence increases hate feelings to those settlers by Palestinians. The sequence of settler's violence against Palestinians in Hebron continued to become a part of the life in Hebron and take so many faces and use hundreds of tools including, burning Palestinians houses, destroying of olive farms, using of guns and weapons against Palestinians, ..etc. recently, the settlers occupied a building in Hebron that belongs to a Palestinian resident by force and kicked out that building residents by force. This incidence took place two weeks ago causing the Palestinians – settlers to reach its fever and resulting in killing of two Palestinians and injuring of tens of them. March last year, in what Israel's High Court of Justice called a quasi-military operation, some 150 students at a yeshiva (a school for Jewish religious study) took over that building on behalf of the settler association. They say it was empty; the owner claims they used force to empty it. Last month the High Court ordered the state authorities to remove the settlers and lock up the building pending a legal ruling on its rightful ownership. That was the main reason behind the conflict fever that was raised recently.

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