Hebron Watch

Right-wing activist pours boiling water on Meretz MKs in Hebron

editor — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:44:04 -0400

June 17, 2008

A right-wing activist on Tuesday poured boiling water on MKs belonging to the left-wing Meretz party during a tour of the West Bank city of Hebron.

The incident occurred while Hebron setters clashed with the MKs and other members of a tour led by "Breaking The Silence," an organization of demobilized Israel Defense Forces soldiers who document alleged harassment of Palestinians in the territories.

Summary of events surrounding the “House of Contention” in Hebron:

editor — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:06:03 -0500

March 2007: A group of Israeli settlers takes over a building in downtown Hebron, claiming that it was legally purchased from its Palestinian owner. This claim soon becomes suspect, with Israel's police arguing that the supposed sale document was forged; the building becomes known in Israel as "the House of Contention".
November 16, 2008: After months of legal wrangling and postponements, Israel's Supreme Court rules that the settlers must evacuate the building within three days, and turn it over to the State of Israel, pending a final ruling on the ownership question. The court authorizes the State to use force if the settlers refuse to comply.
November/December 2008: The Hebron settlers and their supporters refuse to recognize the Court ruling and pledge to resist if the army tries to evict them. As part of an effort to bully the Israeli government into not implementing the Court order, Jewish settlers in Hebron step up attacks against Palestinians and Israeli troops, and desecrate a mosque. Haaretz refers to settler actions as "Jewish terrorism".
December 4, 2008: Israel evacuates the "House of Contention" by force, after 3 weeks of negotiations fail to produce a voluntary evacuation. Extremist settlers respond by going on a rampage, carrying out what Haaretz journalist Avi Issacharoff terms "a pogrom in the worst sense of the word".

Meretz MK Yossi Beilin convenes emergency meeting of peace organizations & human rights groups on worsening situation in Hebron

editor — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:12:56 -0400

In response to IDF and Israel Police policy banning entry to the city of Hebron and the Southern Hebron Hills region, representatives of Israel’s peace organizations and of human rights groups active in the territories assembled for an emergency consultation on Tuesday, August 5.

In addition to the Meretz party, the organizations represented at the discussion included: Peace Now, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem, Rabbis for Human Rights, Bnei Avraham, Machsom Watch, Ta’ayush and Yesh Din.