Palestinians in the Al-Harika neighborhood of Hebron (Al-Khalil) are being subjected to repeated attacks by Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers, reported human rights NGO B’Tselem, as the organization published details of five such documented attacks that took place from July to November.
Al-Harika lies in the southern part of Hebron’s city center and is home to 3,000 Palestinians. Since 1972, Kiryat Arba settlement – population now 7,000 – has been located next to the neighborhood.
Palestinians in Hebron’s al-Harika neighborhood suffer incessant attacks… https://t.co/dW8RYHiZOe via @YouTube
— Adaya77 (@Adaya77) December 2, 2019
According to B’Tselem, “the proximity of the settlement means that al-Harika residents suffer constant harassment by settlers, who are protected by the military.”
B’Tselem added:
“The attacks include verbal abuse, stone-throwing and other forms of physical assault, and intensify on weekends and Jewish holidays”.
In addition to routine stone-throwing by settlers, Al-Harika’s residents “suffer military raids on the neighborhood almost every day”, with soldiers using stun grenades and tear gas canisters.
#Palestinians in the Al-Harika neighbourhood of #Hebron are being subjected to repeated attacks by Israeli #Settlers and #Soldiers, reported human rights NGO B’Tselem, as the organisation published details of five such documented attacks that t …
https://t.co/MxZ888zTNO pic.twitter.com/h5PTKtelfj— ???????⓵ⒷⓊⓋ??????? (@_1BUV) December 2, 2019
In one incident on November 4, documented by B’Tselem, soldiers entered a Palestinian family compound on 4 November, ostensibly “looking for stone-throwers”.
After arguing with a resident, soldiers threw a stun grenade, then departed from the compound, throwing another stun grenade and a tear gas canister.
On November 3, soldiers were captured on video leading a 13-year-old Palestinian child around the neighborhood while blindfolded. As they did so, the soldiers “threw stun grenades and tear gas canisters at neighborhood homes”.
Hebron: Soldiers detained ‘Abd a-Razeq Idris,13, from Abu Jales neighborhood. Put him in a jeep, blindfolded him & drove him around. Took him to al-Harika neighborhood, a km from his home, where they took him out of the jeep & walked him blindfolded through the streets.03-11-2019 pic.twitter.com/1QjIWZdfjw
— Rowan Van Dijk (@Lastkombo) November 23, 2019
One officer is shown waving a tear gas canister and saying to one of the residents: “This is going to be inside your house in a few minutes, okay. One minute and I’m there. Five minutes and it’s at your place. Get the kids inside, it’d be a shame…”
According to B’Tselem, such cases – and many others – “illustrate how fragile, exposed and unpredictable life has become for Palestinians living in al-Harika.”
(Middle East Monitor, PC, Social Media)
