OPT:Thousands of Israelis flock to Hebron as new settler homes open
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
Date: 04-26-05
by Jennie Matthew
HEBRON, West Bank, April 26 (AFP) - Settlers and their supporters vowed Tuesday to go on with their battle to stay in the Palestinian territories at the inauguration of new Israeli homes in one of the largest West Bank cities.
The opening ceremony for a five-storey block of flats in Hebron came as thousands of Israelis attended an annual festival to mark the Jewish passover holiday in the centre of the flashpoint southern city.
Israeli parliament speaker Reuven Rivlin said the opening of the new apartments on a hill known as Tel Rumeida should be an inspiration to settlers who face being uprooted from the Gaza Strip later this year.
"Blessed be the Hebron heroes," Rivlin told crowds who had gathered for the ceremony. "Thank God that He has brought us back to our land and allowed us to build here despite the opposition.
"This new house should be a symbol to all who live in Eretz Israel," he added in reference to borders of biblical Israel.
Rivlin has been one of the leading critics of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to evacuate all 8,000 settlers living in Gaza.
Sharon however appears in no mood to evacuate the 600 settlers who currently live in Hebron, telling parliament earlier this month that their presence serves as "a strategic Jewish asset".
The Hebron Jews, who are permanently protected from the 120,000-strong local Palestinian population by hundreds of Israeli soldiers, are regarded as some of the most hardline of all settlers.
Hebron is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a site holy to Jews and Muslims, where a Jewish extremist massacred 29 Palestinian worshippers 11 years ago.
Noam Arnon, one of the leaders of the Hebron settlers, said recent excavation work had unearthed evidence of the Jewish heritage in Hebron dating back thousands of year.
"The fact that we find our people's past here is a message to the people of Gush Katif (the main settlement bloc in Gaza) to keep their land," he said.
Support for the Gaza settlers was a constant theme in the festival as Israelis, who are usually wary of venturing into the city, took advantage of the massive security presence to pray in the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Two young twins who were being pushed in a buggy, were both sporting polo shirts in the bright orange that has become the symbol of the Gaza settlers' campaign against evacuation.
Young girls could be seen wearing orange scarves around their necks while women transformed blue and white Israeli flags into head scarves.
Another common thread was resentment towards Sharon, who for years was seen as the settlers' ultimate champion.
Rabbi Moshe Levinger, who was one of the first settlers to live in Hebron, led chants proclaiming that "Sharon must go" at the inauguration ceremony for the apartment block which has been funded with the help of pro-settler groups abroad.
Yehuda Glick, who recently resigned from the civil service in protest at the pullout from Gaza, said he was proud of the show of Jewish strength in Hebron.
"The Jewish people are coming home," said the 39-year-old. "This is the beginning of Israeli rule in the whole of the land of Israel."
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