Hebron: Israeli Peace Activists Prevented from Demonstrating in Hebron
24 September 1998
Israeli Peace Activists Prevented from Demonstrating in Hebron
by Joanne "Jake" Kaufman
Hebron, West Bank -- Four Israeli peace activists were arrested for
holding signs outside an Israeli settlement at noon on Tuesday,
September 22, as CPTers observed. The area had been declared a
"closed military zone" by Israeli authorities. Restriction to the
area applied only to the Israeli activists and not to settlers or
others who reside in Hebron. At least one other carload of peace
activists was prevented from entering Hebron by Israeli authorities.
The Israelis, part of the Hebron Solidarity Committee (HSC), a peace
group which does activities in solidarity with Palestinians in Hebron,
held up signs in Arabic, Hebrew and English asking for justice for
Palestinians, for a halt to settlements and removal of settlers from
Hebron.
Israeli police and soldiers swarmed the area for three hours before
the four appeared in "Aaron Gross Square" in front of the Jewish
settlement of Avraham Avinu and located on Shuhada Street, a main
artery in Hebron's Old City. CPTers giving a tour to two
internationals before the action were stopped and asked for their
passports. When police confirmed that they were indeed international
observers, and not members of the HSC, they asked CPTers if they knew
exactly what time the Israeli action was planned, hoping to prevent
the nonviolent demonstration.
Within five minutes of their appearance, the four activists were
herded into a police van followed by the media cameras which recorded
the event. After being held and questioned for several hours at an
Israeli police station, the four were released, on condition that they
not return to the Israeli-held portion of Hebron for two weeks.
One CPTer asked a police officer later why Israelis couldn't exercise
their democratic right to dissent from their government's policies.
He responded, "It isn't a democracy here [in the Occupied
Territories]." Marches held by Israeli settlers are not
only allowed but escorted and protected by soldiers.
