HEBRON: Tragedy in Beit Ummar pt II: Rest in peace?
[I assume that this Christian Peacemaker account is accurate. Not a very friendly place, Hebron. Doubt that peace can seriously be achieved under these brutal conditions. Ed Kent]
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CPTNET
HEBRON: Tragedy in Beit Ummar pt II: Rest in peace?
by Doug Pritchard
2 Feb. 2008
On 1 Feb. 2008, Israeli authorities finally released the bodies of Mahmoud and Muhammed Sabarnah to the Palestine Red Crescent Society for burial in their home community of Beit Ummar in the Hebron District. Israelis from the nearby settlement of Gush Etzion had killed the two young cousins during a violent confrontation (see CPTnet article, Tragedy in Beit Ummar pt I: A closer look, 1 Feb. 2008.) Residents of Beit Ummar now worried that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) would disrupt the men's funeral, just as they had repeatedly harassed and attacked members of the community in recent months.
After noon prayers at the mosque, in memory of the two men, now called "martyrs," a funeral procession of 3,000 mourners began carrying the bodies towards the cemetery. Six internationals, including CPTers Tarek Abuata and Doug Pritchard and four members of the International Solidarity Movement, positioned themselves almost at the front of the procession. As the procession came within sight of Route 60 and the final approach to the cemetery, the IDF had closed a gate across the street. Before anyone reached the gate, and without any provocation or warning, the IDF began firing on the procession, first with live ammunition, and then with plastic bullets, tear gas, and concussion grenades. Three Palestinians were immediately injured near the internationals and taken away by ambulance as the outraged procession retreated.
Some mourners hurriedly carried the bodies of the Sabarnah men along a back route to the cemetery, while others threw stones at the cement IDF watchtower from which the firing had emerged. Another Palestinian fell and friends carried him away. In the cemetery, IDF soldiers arrived and ordered the mourners to leave immediately. After a hasty burial prayer, the family and remaining mourners returned to the street. IDF jeeps then began moving up the street, firing as they came. Palestinians fled into side streets. For the next three hours, IDF patrols spread through the town, continuing to fire on small groups of retreating Palestinians, some of whom threw stones in return.
By the end of the afternoon 14 Palestinians had been wounded.
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Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumeniocal initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, please visit our website at http:\www.cpt.org. Photos of our projects may be viewed at: http:\www.cpt.org/gallery
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"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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Ed Kent 212-665-8535 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FindingHumaneJobs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OurStupidEconomy
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
......................................
CPTNET
HEBRON: Tragedy in Beit Ummar pt II: Rest in peace?
by Doug Pritchard
2 Feb. 2008
On 1 Feb. 2008, Israeli authorities finally released the bodies of Mahmoud and Muhammed Sabarnah to the Palestine Red Crescent Society for burial in their home community of Beit Ummar in the Hebron District. Israelis from the nearby settlement of Gush Etzion had killed the two young cousins during a violent confrontation (see CPTnet article, Tragedy in Beit Ummar pt I: A closer look, 1 Feb. 2008.) Residents of Beit Ummar now worried that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) would disrupt the men's funeral, just as they had repeatedly harassed and attacked members of the community in recent months.
After noon prayers at the mosque, in memory of the two men, now called "martyrs," a funeral procession of 3,000 mourners began carrying the bodies towards the cemetery. Six internationals, including CPTers Tarek Abuata and Doug Pritchard and four members of the International Solidarity Movement, positioned themselves almost at the front of the procession. As the procession came within sight of Route 60 and the final approach to the cemetery, the IDF had closed a gate across the street. Before anyone reached the gate, and without any provocation or warning, the IDF began firing on the procession, first with live ammunition, and then with plastic bullets, tear gas, and concussion grenades. Three Palestinians were immediately injured near the internationals and taken away by ambulance as the outraged procession retreated.
Some mourners hurriedly carried the bodies of the Sabarnah men along a back route to the cemetery, while others threw stones at the cement IDF watchtower from which the firing had emerged. Another Palestinian fell and friends carried him away. In the cemetery, IDF soldiers arrived and ordered the mourners to leave immediately. After a hasty burial prayer, the family and remaining mourners returned to the street. IDF jeeps then began moving up the street, firing as they came. Palestinians fled into side streets. For the next three hours, IDF patrols spread through the town, continuing to fire on small groups of retreating Palestinians, some of whom threw stones in return.
By the end of the afternoon 14 Palestinians had been wounded.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumeniocal initiative to support violence reduction efforts around the world. To learn more about CPT's peacemaking work, please visit our website at http:\www.cpt.org. Photos of our projects may be viewed at: http:\www.cpt.org/gallery
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent 212-665-8535 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CollegeConversation
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PeaceEfforts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndingPoverty
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/440neighborhood
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentConcerns
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AcademicFreedom
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PrivacyRights
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Israel_Palestine
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FindingHumaneJobs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OurStupidEconomy
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
posted by Ed Kent at 8:45 AM
1 Comments:
I can't believe that an intelligent person actually wrote this account. i was in Kfar Etzion when these 2 cousins cut the fence and headed for the high school on the kibbutz. These murderous thugs (wearing civilian guard uniforms from a local security company) had one thing on their mind: to kill as many innocent students as possible.
Looking for a room with people to kill they walked past the study hall that at the time was holding a lecture for 150 kids. They saw people in the library (9 school councilors holding a meeting). They walked in (big mistake) and told the people to stand up against the wall. They were greeted by the councilors assuming they were part of the guard personnel.
They pulled knives and started attacking 2 of the councilors. One of the councilors drew his gun and shot both dead.
These 2 idiots realize by now that there are no virgins waiting for them.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSL2518268920080125
http://firesidelearning.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=1786468:BlogPost:14769
http://www.fresnozionism.org/archives/815
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