Approximately 20 left-wing activists and Arab protesters gathered in Hebron this week in an attempt to spark tension between the Jewish and Palestinian population there. Their goal was to rile up the Jewish residents of Hebron’s “Peace House” and pull IDF soldiers on duty into a conflict. The protesters came armed with cameras, ready to film the action to rub the name of the IDF and Jewish settlers in the mud.
After a 10-year legal battle, the Supreme Court finally recognized in March that the Peace House was duly purchased by its Jewish owners.
Within half an hour of the arrival of and beginning of the protest, Arabs living in Hebron arrived and removed the protesters from the area much to their surprise. The Arabs claimed that the protestors were preventing them from leading normal lives in the city and causing unwanted strife.
Israel National News reported that one of the residents said on a condition of anonymity, “For a relatively long period there’s been quiet and co-existence here between the Jewish and Palestinian residents, and this protest only damages the neighbors living nearby who want quiet already.”
Head of the local Resident’s Council, Malachi Levinger, said, “It’s clear to us that those harming the sensitive stability in the region are the anarchists and left-wing activists. They are not at all interested in peace, and their activities sabotage the functional lifestyle in Kiryat Arba, Hebron, and surrounding areas.”
The removal of the protestors by local Arabs illustrates the desire of both populations to calm tensions and create peace and quiet in the often-embattled city.
