Shuhada Street is a street in Hebron where hundreds of Palestinian shops were closed down by the Israeli Army in 1994 after the massacre by Baruch Goldstein, and then those that remained were shut down in 2000, when the Second Intifada broke out. On June 15, the mayor of Hebron announced to the world that the Army allowed 70 shops to reopen.
In reality, only two shops have been reopened. Also, Palestinians are still being denied permission to walk down this street, so shopping in these stores, or even moving cargo inside, is a huge difficulty. Since the shops reopened, Israeli settlers have been protesting to get them closed down, by gathering in big crowds and trying to block the entrance.
A huge crowd gathered this evening in front of the store of Hazadeen Abu Hadid. They were comprised mostly of Israeli settler youth and children. They stood in front of the store, more or less blocking the entrance. They glared and jeered at the Palestinians inside, and used their hands to try to block them from filming or taking photos. A few Palestinians were allowed to enter the store, most others were moved away by the soldiers, who were watching the settlers and not doing anything. A Palestinian man who verbally protested was pushed away by the soldiers, and a Palestinian volunteer with BTselem was shoved into the shop.
There was a line of Israeli police who were blocking the store from the settler youth, and they did a good job in not allowing them to enter the store. One of the police officers told me he is disgusted and opposed to what the settlers do. There also were Border Police officers who made a line.
Despite the fact that the Border Police and police did not allow the settler youth to enter the store, neither they or the Army made any serious attempt to have them leave and stop harassing the Palestinians inside. Some of the BP were joking around with the settler youth, at times gently pushing them back. One police officer, the guy who told me he was opposed to what was happening, tried to shoo some of them away and quietly tried to reprimand them.
Had a crowd of Palestinians blocked an Israeli shop in Hebron, I have no doubt there would have been a different reaction. One only needs to remember what happened on the road by Adam settlement last Thursday. The smell of pepper spray would have probably remained in the air for quite some time.
According to a settler I spoke to, their action was in response to an attack by a Palestinian against an Israeli that they said happened late last night, close to the store. I asked him if he knew who committed the attack and he said he has no idea. In spite of this, the decision was made to target the store.
The settlers eventually left after feeling they made their point, and the Army and police and Border Police did also. I spoke to the Hazadeen, who confirmed there were rumours something happened last night, but he was not involved in any way.
Since his store was reopened in June, Israeli settlers gathered to protest there already five times this year, without any allegations of attacks. Whatever took place last night seems to have been more of an excuse than anything else to harass him and try to hurt his business.
I am against and condemn all acts of violence, regardless of whether Palestinians or Israelis are either the victims or perpetrators. If an Israeli was attacked last night, it is a horrible thing and I hope he or she recovers soon. However such an attack would have been no less horrible than the Israeli Army's arrest and torture of the Palestinian youth two nights ago, or the beatings and pepper spraying of journalists on Thursday, or the shooting of the ten year old Palestinian child in the head on Friday with a rubber coated steeel bullet,
Regardless of what took place last night, it is wrong that innocent people were chosen as targets for reprisal. It is even more wrong than innocent people are being victimized by soldiers and settlers in this city on an almost daily basis, and no one in a position of authority is doing anything to stop it.
Israeli settler youth standing in front of Palestinian store, as others gather outside, The soldiers were doing nothing but observing, and made no attempt to get the settlers to leave,
As Israeli police form a line outside the store, settler youth try to stop a Palestinian from filming,
Border Police showed up and formed a line to block settlers from entering the store.
A Palestinian cameraman from BTselem is pushed into the store by an Israeli police officer.
A Palestinian man who verbally protested against the store blockage is pushed away by soldiers. Interestingly, none of them thought to do this to the settlers. I apologize for the bad quality of the video.
Palestinians in the store look past the Israeli policemen who are guarding it. The police did try to discourage the settler youth, though not very firmly.
One of the policemen acknowledged that what the settles are doing is wrong. For his own security, I will not identify him.
Israeli soldiers gather close to the crowd.
Israeli soldiers leave.
A settler teen tries to stop me from filming by blocking my camera.
Settler youth try to block a Palestinian from filming.
Settler youth and kids try to block filming of what is taking place.
Although I am disturbed by their behaviour, I feel sad for the Israeli settler youth who took part in this spectacle. They are only copying and applying what their parents and society teaches them. May God show them to the Truth.
Hazadeen Abu Hadid, owner of the store. He has faced already 5 such incidents since his store was allowed to reopen in June of this year.
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