Last week, Hebron activists, in the name of the people most effected by the religio-rachist settlers hooliganism, asked for involvement of Israeli (Jewish) activists to try to deter the hooligans, or at least to draw the attention of the media. They asked especially for the anarchists from Tel-Aviv. (In addition to the general media reporting about the AATW* part in the struggle against the apartheid wall, they got probably also first hand information from the villagers of the South Hebron Mountain region, where the AATW are involved with locals in the struggle against the separation fence.) The action was carried out on Saturday afternoon. Following are comrade report and then media reports about the action:
A report of activist:
"The attempt for solidarity visit of Israelis at the Palestinian families at the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron ended with mass arrest.
Tens of Israelis are detained these minutes [at time of the report - they all were released later - Ed.] as they tried to visit Tel Rumeida. Last few weeks, the Hebron [Jewish] settlers opened a new road for their needs that was not authorized by the Israeli army. The road was built on private lands of Palestinian inhabitants of Tel Rumeida, who are suffering daily harassment [for years] from the settlers.
A group of of Israeli activists traveled to day for a solidarity visit with Palestinian families of Tel Rumeida. The aim of the visit was to meet the inhabitants and to learn the conditions there.
In spite of the fact that the planned visit was nonviolent, the police forces were organized from the morning to prevent with any means needed that visit....
Media reports:
From the web site of the main Israeli yellow daily most Israelis read::
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3088411,00.html:
Hebron: 32 leftists arrested
Left-wing activists come to neighborhood of Tel Rumeida to express solidarity with Palestinians, say settlers threw objects at them By Ali Waked and Efrat Weiss
HEBRON - Thirty-two activists were arrested Saturday afternoon by police and soldiers and are now being interrogated by Hebron district police.
The left-wingers demonstrators from several organizations* came to show support for Palestinian residents of Tel Rumeida, whom they said were suffering from harassment by settlers.
According to the Palestinians, neighboring settlers damage their cars and try to take over their homes.
When the marchers got to Tel Rumeida, soldiers told them that they could not enter the area. When the activists ignored the army and walked in anyway, settlers pelted them with rocks, bottles and eggs.
Warned by the army
One activist, Anat, told Ynetnews that the soldiers warned her not to enter the settlers? compound.
?They said it would be taken as a provocation, and we insisted anyway, they called us Nazis, and said that we deserved what the settlers would dole out,? said Anat.
Lawyer Yael Barda said, ?Some of those arrested were handed over to the Hebron police while others went to the Gush Etzion district. Still others, were arrested by the army, which if of course, very illegal.?
Barda said that the demonstrators came to visit Palestinian families after they had complained that the settlers cleared a passage for themselves, while blocking Palestinian access.
The police said, ?The demonstrators were arrested on suspicion of violating a military order by going into Area A and by disturbing the peace.?
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* To day Hebrew printed edition of the more "respectable" daily Haaretz reports::
"More than 30 leftist activists were arrested yesterday in protest actions at the Kasba of Hebron, and in places in town near the settlers' sections. About 70 activists - members of the "Anarchists Against The Fence" group and of other organizations, who entered during the weekend into the area under the control of the Palestinian authority in town, infiltrated through it to the Kasba, the market, the region of the "Policeman" square, and the Tel Rumeida [mini settlement in town] - [parts of Hebron that are under Israeli control]......
Near the Tel Rumeida settlement.... there were clashes with the settlers that threw on the demonstrators stones and eggs.
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