[Peace-discuss] Fw: [Aware] Israeli settler violence: from Hebron, the Tel Rumeida Project

Wed Jun 14 22:58:20 CDT 2006

Here is an update from the Tel Rumeida Project, received at aware at anti-war.net .
This is the project started last year by Chelli Stanley, a 23-year old American
woman, along with other intrepid folks, to establish a permanent international
activist presence in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron, occupied West Bank.
It's an ambitious, compelling Palestinian advocacy program in what may be the
one place victimized most by extremist Israeli settler violence. They are slowly
building up an interesting archive of materials on their website.

R

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tel Rumeida Project" <telrumeidaproject at yahoo.com>
To: <telrumeidaproject at yahoo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 10:29 PM
Subject: [Aware] Israeli settler violence: from Hebron,the Tel Rumeida Project

: TEL RUMEIDA PROJECT
:   www.telrumeidaproject.org
:
:
:   After more than 25 years of terrorizing the local Palestinian population,
Hebron settlers are officially poised on the threshold of getting their biggest
reward yet: an all Jewish Hebron, formally part of Israel.
:   Throughout their history, Hebron's Israeli settlers have invested almost no
effort to conceal their motives and strategies: forcing the Palestinian
residents out of the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron through violence.  And
why should they?  Though the Israeli government publicly condemns the Hebron's
settlers violence, it also takes nearly every opportunity to reward the settlers
for their actions.
:
:   On May 25, 2006, Kadima Knesset member Otniel Schneller told Ha'aretz and
the Associated Press that Hebron will be part of the Israeli state in the final
borders, which Prime Minister Olmert plans to set by 2008.  Olmert has not
denied this.
:
:   'The Jewish neighborhood in Hebron will grow' and be linked to Kiryat Arba.
'Hebron and Kiryat Arba are supposed to be part of the Israeli state.' .Israel
will find 'creative ways' to separate most of the Palestinians from the
Israeli-controlled section, bringing the settlement, the Cave of the Patriarchs
and Kiryat Arba together, Schneller said.
:   (AP and Haaretz "Kadima MK: Jewish Area of Hebron will grow, be connected to
Israel," May 25, 2006, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/719856.html)
:
:   The "Israeli-controlled section" that Schneller proposes to "separate" most
of the Palestinians from is 20% of Hebron, an area that, only a decade ago, had
a population of 30,000 Palestinians and 500 settlers.  Today, only a few
thousand Palestinians remain.  The number of settlers has stayed the same.  Tel
Rumeida is also in the Israeli-controlled section and would become part of
Israel if this plan is implemented.
:
:     Hebron is different than any other West Bank city.  It was the first city
into which Jewish settlers moved following the Israeli occupation of the West
Bank in 1967 and continues to house the most fanatical, violent settlers in the
West Bank.  Jewish settlements in Hebron differ from all other settlements in
that they are located in the densely-populated center of a large Palestinian
city, occupying land and houses that are literally side-by-side with Palestinian
homes.
:   Tel Rumeida is an area plagued by violence.   Tel Rumeida is located on a
hill, with Beit Hadassah settlement at its base and the Tel Rumeida settlement
at the peak.For more than two decades, settlers have repeatedly stoned and
attacked Tel Rumeida residents, broken the windows of their homes, destroyed
their water pipes, and cut electricity lines.  Settlers shoot residents' water
tanks, destroy their grapevines and olive trees, and throw trash into their
yards
:
:
:
:     The following are quotes from the Hebron settlers regarding Palestinians.
The settlement signifies the settlement the individual is living in (for those
not signified, exact settlement in Hebron is as yet unknown).  The purpose of
these quotes is to demonstrate that this thinking is widespread in Hebron's
settlers and has been prevalent for decades.
:   They are also to be coupled with the
:   videos http://www.telrumeidaproject.org/video.html
:   reports http://www.telrumeidaproject.org/Updates.html
:   and photos http://www.telrumeidaproject.org/photos.html
:   we have of the Hebron settlers attacking Palestinians to provide a full
picture about what has been, and continues to happen to the Palestinian
residents of Tel Rumeida, Hebron, whose population has dwindled from 500 to 50
families in matter of decades.
:
:
:   NOAM FEDERMAN
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "I think the government should put bombs in hospitals but unfortunately the
government doesn't do it, so it is up to the people to do those things."
: Suzanne Goldenberg, "Israel thwarts Jewish bomb attack on school," The
Guardian, May 13, 2002.
:
:
: DAVID WILDER
: BEIT HADASSAH SETTLEMENT
: According to Chris McGreal of The Guardian, David Wilder warned that if Ariel
Sharon tries to remove more West Bank settlements it could provide the pretext
for the Jews of Hebron to achieve their goal of expelling the Palestinian
residents from Hebron:
: "All of those people who seem to be in favour of these unilateral expulsions
[Israeli settlers in Gaza], they should have reason to be worried because
expulsion is a two-way street and if it's permissible to expel Jews in the name
of peace then it's also permissible to expel others in the name of peace."
: Chris McGreal, "Life under siege in a divided city: Palestinian families
driven from homes by settlers in 'cleansing' of Hebron in the West Bank," The
Guardian, December 9, 2005.
:
:
: NOAM AND ELISHEVA FEDERMAN
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: Noam Federman and his wife tell [reporter Haim Yavin] on camera that an
ultimatum has to be presented to the Arab residents of Hebron: Either they leave
the country immediately, or the Israel Air Force will bomb their homes.
: Tom Segev, "Our man in the territories," Ha'aretz, May 27, 2005.
:
:
: NOAM FEDERMAN
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "There is no turning of the other cheek in Judaism...  Judaism is revenge.
Whoever says there are military solutions speaks incorrectly, because there will
always be another Arab and another Arab who will want to kill Jews.  If there
won't be Arabs in the country, there won't be attacks."
: "The Kahanes: Like father, like son," BBC, December 31, 2000.
:
:
: DAVID WILDER
: BEIT HADASSAH SETTLEMENT:
: "Until we take it [Hebron] all, there won't be peace."
: Paul Wiseman, "Settlers are defiant island in sea of hostility," USA Today,
April 30, 2002
:
:
: RABBI DOV LIOR
: CHIEF RABBI AT KIRYAT ARBA
: "In the course of battle the IDF is allowed to hurt an ostensibly innocent
civilian population."  He also maintains that "there is no reason to feel guilty
because of the morality of infidels."
: JPost.com Staff, The Jerusalem Post, May 24, 2004.
:
:
: MOSHE LEVINGER
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "The Arabs know to behave like good boys around us."
:
: "I'm not happy when any living creature dies-an Arab, a fly, a donkey."
:
: In the Israel he envisaged, Arabs would be allowed to stay only so long as
they "behave themselves.
: Foreign residents"-Levinger's designation for Arabs-"will be allowed to stay
in Israel if they follow our laws and don't demand privileges."  He added that
they might vote "for mayors and such" but not for Prime Minister.  He did not
believe that the Arabs would acquiesce to such an arrangement, and that is why
he advocated "transfer"-a euphemism for mass expulsion.  "Whoever hurts Jews
will be expelled," he said.
: Jeffrey Goldberg, "Among the Settlers: Will they destroy Israel?" The New
Yorker, May 31, 2004
:
:
: BARUCH MARZEL AND NOAM FEDERMAN
: TEL RUMEIDA AND AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENTS
: In a sequel to its slogan campaign "If there are no Arabs, (there will be) no
terror attacks," extreme right wing activists Wednesday launched a new slogan
campaign, planning to distribute bumper stickers and pamphlets reading "If there
are no leftists, (there will be) no terrorist attacks."
: The anti-Arab stickers, which appeared close to last year's Holocaust
Remembrance Day, were distributed as part of a drive by followers of slain
militant Rabbi Meir Kahane to win support for expulsion of all Arabs from Israel
and the territories.
: The radio said pro-Kahane activists Baruch Marzel and Noam Federman were also
behind the campaign, which it said was well-financed by donations.
: "New far-right slogan campaign : 'No leftists, no terror,'" Ha'aretz, January
30, 2002
:
:
: SHMUEL BEN-YISHAI, spokesman for the KIRYAT ARBA residents
: "The Palestinians are not afraid of the soldiers.  But they are afraid of us."
: Johanna McGeary, "Middle East Neighbor Against Neighbor: Jewish settlers join
the battle against the
: Palestinians," TIME Magazine, February 22, 1988.
:
:
: CHAIM WALDMAN
: "When I go out in my car, I'm hunting for Arabs.  I put a bullet in the
chamber of my M-16 and keep it pointed out the window with the safety off."
:
: "There is a Jewish intifadeh now, and it can't be stopped.  We're headed for
war."
:
: "After an Arab attack, we send out an alert, jump into our cars and head for
the area.  Then we destroy and burn."
:
: "Arabs have good reason to fear me."
: Jon D. Hull, "Middle East Fighting Fire with Fire: Tired of stones, Israeli
settlers launch their own revolt on the West Bank," TIME Magazine, June 26,
1989.
:
:
: AARON DOMB
: KIRYAT ARBA
: "Killing Arabs doesn't help our cause. That's why we talk about expulsions.
It's more humane."
: Jon D. Hull, "Middle East Fighting Fire with Fire: Tired of stones, Israeli
settlers launch their own revolt on the West Bank," TIME Magazine, June 26,
1989.
:
:
: DAVID YISRAELI
: "If I can't live in Hebron, you can't have peace."
: Kevin Fedarko, "When Revenge Comes First: Eye-for-an-eye violence between
settlers and Palestinians mocks the idea of coexistence," TIME Magazine,
December 20, 1993
:
:
: BARUCH MARZEL
: TEL RUMEIDA SETTLEMENT
: "It is only a matter of time until there is war between the Jews and Arabs,
and it will start from here [Hebron]."
:
: "The Arabs have to understand this is a Jewish state, and they have got to
leave.  Peacefully if they want; if not, we will make them.  Just let me rule
Hebron for 24 hours, and they would leave. If they strike at me, I will hit back
five times harder.  The only solution is to be stronger than they are."
: Johanna Mcgeary, "Over Their Dead Bodies: Hebron's Immovable Jewish Settlers
Are Living Land Mines In The Tangled Peace Process," TIME Magazine, November 4,
1996
:
:
: DAVID WILDER
: BEIT HADASSAH SETTLEMENT
: "Take all the Arabs and remove them."
: Keith B. Richburg, "In Hebron, History and Hate Divide Neighbors; 2 Men a
Microcosm Of Mideast Conflict," The Washington Post, 10/16/2000
:
:
: AVISHAI RAVIV
: KIRYAT ARBA
: "I came here to identify with the man.  I am not sorry that Arabs died, I
think many more should die."
: HERB KEINON, "300 attend service for Baruch Goldstein," Jerusalem Post,
2/17/1995
:
:
: ARYE, 12 year-old-boy
: Arye, 12, was eager to explain that killing Rabin was "not okay because he was
a Jew."  He said that the difference between Amir's act and that of Goldstein
was that Goldstein attacked "criminals, and criminals should be killed."
: Jon Immanuel , "Ten policemen guard Goldstein's tomb" Jerusalem Post,
11/9/1995.
:
:
: ITAMAR BEN-GVIR
: "Dr. Goldstein was a symbol of dedication, he went against the grain, and a
lot of people are going to go against the grain if the prime minister tries to
expel Jews from their homes."
:
: Ben-Gvir says Goldstein was a "holy Jew" and the Hebron massacre a "holy act."
: Larry Derfner, "Beyond the pale," Jerusalem Post, 4/1/2005
:
:
: RABBI ELIEZER WALDMAN, one of the original founders of the first Hebron
settlement
: KIRYAT ARBA
: "If it's your homeland, you must say, It's mine.  If you begin speaking about
the rights of others, people will think it's not yours."
: Marguerite Michaels, "Settlers: Violence to Do God's Work," TIME Magazine,
September 13, 1993
:
:
:
:
: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/israel/view/
: The following quotes are taken from the following documentary: Dan Setton,
"Israel's Next War," FRONTLINE, PBS, 2005.  All the individuals were filmed and
identified on camera saying the quotes that are attributed to them.
:
:
: SHMUEL BEN YISHAI
: [through interpreter] There are certain conditions, according to Jewish law,
under which non-Jews may live here. This doesn't apply to the Arabs. They don't
fit the category. They have to get the hell out. Whoever leaves under his own
steam will save his own life. Whoever doesn't, will have to pay the price. This
is the land of Israel.
:
:
: NOAM FEDERMAN
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: [through interpreter] "Revenge is an important value. The Talmud says that it
is one of the greatest things. Revenge is great."
:
: "We basically explain the Arab problem as Rabbi Kahane saw it.  We say this
country should be a Jewish country, with all of the far-reaching implications."
:
:
:
:
: The following quotes are taken from the following documentary: Micha X Peled,
"Inside God's Bunker," 1994.  All the individuals were filmed and identified on
camera saying the quotes that are attributed to them.
:
:
: RUTHIE HIZMI
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "I mean, the moment you step outside the fence around Beit Hadassah, you
immediately run into Arabs.  It's hard.  Arabs, dust, smoke, dirt.  It's hard."
:
:
: UNIDENTIFIED HEBRON SETTLER, FACE SHOWN
: While driving through Hebron at night, he describes how Hebron settlers
destroy Palestinian cars at night
: "Cars are the classic targets.  You can cause 15,000 shekels worth of damage
just like that.  It takes very little effort.  And if you weren't filming...
We've got the technical know-how.  We're trained and equipped - each vehicle has
the necessary gear.  Knives to cut what needs to be cut. Petrol and matches,
whatever we need.  Contact Glue.
: Peled: Why contact glue?
: "Contact glue and petrol works like napalm.  It flares up and never stops."
: Peled:  You throw this on a car, or what?
: "Yes.  You use a knife to cut the rubber around the windscreen.  It falls
inside.  You throw the mixture on the dashboard, light a match, say a prayer and
that's that."
: Peled:  You do it as a response to an assault against you?
: "Not necessarily.  The enemy must be kept down at all times.  It's just that
we need more time and more people to do it."
:
:
: DANNY HIZMI
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "A Jew who gets hit with a stone doesn't just ignore it.  I stop when they
throw stones at me.  Sometimes I manage to catch the stone-thrower, which isn't
easy.  But if I succeed, then of course I beat him up if I have to and I turn
him over to the army.  We live here, we won't have stones thrown at us like
dogs.
: If Arabs were all peace-loving people and were tall and good-looking with blue
eyes we would behave like in Sweden.  But this is the Middle East and the rules
are different here.
: There have been at least 5 or 6 times when I could have killed an Arab and
been acquitted in court because it was that kind of incident.  But I can't.  We
Jews cannot kill."
:
:
: Sticker on the wall of Baruch Marzel's office in the Tel Rumeida settlement
: "I already killed an Arab.  And you?"
:
:
: BARUCH MARZEL
: TEL RUMEIDA SETTLEMENT
: "If we let the Arabs stay here, there will be no peace in this country.  So we
must deport all our enemies."
:
:
: RABBI SHIMON, teaches the Torah at the Seminary in Hebron
: After shooting live bullets with a few other settlers into a crowd of
Palestinians-some of whom were throwing stones-injuring three Palestinians
: "Unfortunately, the army is taking us to court instead of giving us medals and
appreciation."
:
:
: 7 settler boys, ages 8-11, sang the following song in a van on their way to
school
: "All the world hates the Arabs
: And the main thing is to kill them one by one"
: .With these feet I stepped on my enemy
: With these teeth I bit his skin
: With these lips I sucked his blood
: And I still haven't had enough revenge"
:
:
: 7 settler boys, ages 8-11, sang the following song as they walked by Beit
Hadassah settlement
: Ami Popper put on his army uniform and asked men waiting at a bus stop for
their ID cards. After confirming they were Palestinians he lined them up and
opened fire, killing seven.
: "Ami Popper, we all love you!
: There's no one like you in the world"
:
:
: 5 settler boys, ages 8-11, yelled the following at a Palestinian as they
walked into market
: "Look - a monkey in a cage!"
:
:
: Settler boy, 9-10 years old, blonde said
: "They want to kill us.  Not like us, we only want to kick them out.  They can
live, just not here.  It is in their nature to kill and in our nature to live."
: Peled:  Do you know any Arabs personally?
: "No"
: Peled: You never talk to Arabs?
: "I don't speak to Arabs"
:
:
: Settler boy, 9-10 years old, dark hair (son of Anat Cohen)
: "There are no good Arabs; they're born liars!  We were born compassionate,
they are cruel by nature, born to kill."
:
: "If an Arab attacks me, or is planning to harm me, or is thinking something
about me that I don't want him to think, I'll kill him.  I'll kill him because I
know he can't be a blameless, innocent citizen.  I'm only killing an Arab, just
an Arab.  He wants to kill me and I'm the ruler here."
:
:
: ANAT COHEN
: BEIT HADASSAH SETTLEMENT
: "My children follow directly on from me.  I feel it. my children are my
force."
:
:
: RUTHIE HIZMI
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "He [Ruthie's son] could be an excellent student, but he's busy with so many
things apart from his studies."
: Peled:  Such as?
: "Such as throwing stones at cars" [chuckles]
:
:
: DANNY HIZMI
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "No one [settler] will lay down his arms [to the Israeli army] willingly.
.After all, we have other ways of getting weapons. if we want to.  We know how
to get to the military armories.  We all serve in the Army.  We can take over an
Army base if it becomes necessary."
:
:
: GILON BEN SAYID, poem to Baruch Goldstein, the Hebron settler who massacred 29
Palestinians while they were praying in the Ibrahimi Mosque
: KIRYAT ARBA SETTLEMENT
: "Valiant warrior and holy Hassid.Pure of heart and soul brother, we shall
always love you."
:
: "In the Scriptures it is written that at the death of the Tsadick, the Saint,
the Almighty sends down rain during the funeral.  Here, it wasn't just rain, it
was a real deluge even though no rain was expected that day.  We have here a
clear sign that the Heavens are pleased by Dr. Goldstein's act of deliverance
for the people of Israel."
:
:
: HEMI, a blonde settler boy about 12-14 years old
: "He [Baruch Goldstein] did a good thing.  It's just a pity they murdered him.
They're not just Arabs, they're murderers."
: Peled:  Tell me, Hemi, if you had been around that morning and you'd seen
Baruch Goldstein about to do it, would you have tried to stop him?
: "No, I'd have tried to help him if I could."
:
:
: DANNY HIZMI
: AVRAHAM AVINU SETTLEMENT
: "I believe it [the massacre of 29 Palestinians in the Ibrahimi Mosque] will be
of help because every event in the process of Redemption is a step forward."
:
:
: Young settler boy, dark hair, age 7-8
: "My teacher said that his [Baruch Goldstein] was a good deed.  We're just
sorry he died"
: Peled:  You're not sorry for the dead Arabs?
: "No."
:
:
:
: www.telrumeidaproject.org

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