For the last six days there was steady violent protest by
Jews in Hebron in response to orders issued by the
authorities to evacuate Jews who have been living in the
city's marketplace for the past four years. In the course of
the demonstrations Jews, many of them nonresidents, threw
eggs and paint at security forces, verbally abused the IDF
and police, and set fire to buildings according to some media
reports. In response, on Tuesday the IDF declared the entire
area a closed military zone, including the approach roads.
Police set up roadblocks to keep out new arrivals, and began
to move in to arrest and expel nonresidents. The IDF said
that there are no special restrictions on entrance to Mearas
Hamachpelah.
So far, a total of at least 22 demonstrators were arrested in
the past few days, at least 15 of whom were minors.
IDF sources said that Hebron residents were informed last
week that there were no plans to evacuate the families this
week. According to security officials, the evacuation of
illegal outposts in Samaria would take precedence and this
has not taken place yet.
Judea and Samaria Police stated that they would not hesitate
to use tear gas and forces mounted on horseback to control
the violence.
Yesha Council Chairman Benzi Lieberman called on the violent
youth to be expelled from the city. He said that by their
actions they were obscuring the real debate regarding the
evacuation.
Early Monday morning, some 200 protesters — many of
them masked — threw stones, bottles and paint at police
forces in Hebron. Police declared the rally illegal and
quickly removed the demonstrators. Some 250 police officers
later streamed into Hebron on Monday. Police Commissioner
Moshe Karadi ordered police to reinforce the large number of
security forces present since the riots began. Some 150
police officers are stationed 24 hours a day near Mearas
Hamachpelah.
As of Tuesday morning, there were more members of the media
than demonstrators at the Jewish neighborhood in Avraham
Ovinu in Hebron.
On Tuesday afternoon, some 20 right-wing activists blocked
the entrance to Jerusalem to protest the ongoing events in
Hebron. Police forcibly removed the protesters after several
minutes and arrested two of them.
The IDF Spokesman said that all nonresidents of Hebron's
Jewish quarter would be denied entry until January 22. The
army would grant authorization to those who have special
reasons to enter the city, the army said.
Dep.-Cmdr. Shlomo Efrati, a senior Hebron police officer,
said that the violent demonstrations in the city had been
well planned, and that organized transport had brought
hundreds of demonstrators to the city.
Following the Mearas Hamachpelah massacre in 1994 by Dr.
Baruch Goldstein, Palestinians fled the market area in
question. The army barred them from moving back after the
outbreak of the intifadah in September 2000. In 2001, eight
settler families occupied stores in the market in response to
the murder of Shalhevet Pass, an infant who was shot in her
father's arms by a sniper.
While it is acknowledged that the buildings are located on
Jewish-owned land, the families living there failed to prove
ownership in a series of petitions to the High Court of
Justice. This led to orders from Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz
to issue eviction notices to the families, who were given
until January 15 to leave the premises on their own.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert took a very determined
stance, saying that continued violence would not be condoned
and that anyone who raised a hand against a soldier or a
policeman would be severely punished. The events may prove
the first test of Olmert's mettle and abilities as a
commander. Unlike Sharon, a battle-tested commander and
strategist, Olmert never served at a high level in the army.
Olmert is also viewed by the Right with much more suspicion
than Sharon was.
Police also expressed their determination. "If the need
arises," Commissioner Karadi said, "I will order the
deployment of an additional 1,000 policemen to Hebron or
however many policemen it takes to restore order."
