Jewish fundamentalism in Hebron

Really rather good , 1 rating
Login to rate

Asa's travel blog in Hebron, Palestinian Territory. He went on 16 of November 2005 for 1 day. He went for interest or hobby. Asa went with a group of friends. He got there and around by walking, bus or coach. asa's travel verdict is: life changing.

Young Israeli settlers walk through an army checkpoint fully armed...

... while young Palestinians are regularly detained at the same checkpoints for no aparent reason

The general situation in Hebron really is something else, even within the context of the West Bank. The military occupation there is severe. Palestinians are afraid to walk their streets at night because of the Jewish fundamentalist settlers who dominate the area, but I have also heard many horror stories about violence by the Israeli soldiers and Border Police. They were certainly an imposing presence in the Old City -- their stated mission being to protect the settlers, who are not stopped at checkpoints, are allowed to roam freely and are often armed with M16s, submachine guns and the like.

Speaks for itself. JDL stands for "Jewish Defence League"

Houses are confiscated for use by the army. The settlers are in the process of ethnically cleansing the town, while the soldiers "only follow orders" to protect them as citizens of Israel. The Old City is a ghost town during the day. Huge concrete blocks systematically placed around the main roads to the Old City mean that transport can not reach what was once the heart of the city. Most shops are closed and often deserted because of threats, harassment and violence from the settlers. Racist graffiti in Hebrew (and sometimes English) and the Star of David are found sprayed on Palestinian shops and houses all over the Old City. The only form of resistance left for some is simply to continue opening their shops -- even if it means selling nothing for weeks or months.

"Kach" party logo graffitied up on a Palestinian home. The Kach called for the forced expulsion of all Palestinians before it was banned as a terrorist organisation (even in Israel).

Indoctrinated children. Taught to throw stones at Palestinians and (in this case) internationals

I've been to Hebron many different times. The date in this report refers to a one-day tour I had of the Old City by a Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) member. We visited the Ibrahimi Mosque where in 1994, Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish American religious extremist massacred 30 Palestinians at prayer. The crowd then beat him to death. He regarded by the settlers as a martyr and there is a shrine to him in the nearby settlement of Kyriat Arba. Photos from the Ibrahimi mosque are in the gallery below.