Tens of armed settlers went on a violent rampage, attacking Palestinians, breaking into houses and setting fire to them. Fifteen other Palestinians were injured; three of them remain in serious condition. Israeli police officers were also injured when the settlers attacked them with stones.

Nevine was, like all the other Palestinian residents of the town, in her home, under curfew. She was standing on her balcony when the settlers opened fire and shot her in the head.

Another Palestinian child, seven-year-old Ahmed An-Natshe, was injured when a settler stabbed him with a knife. Fauaz Idrees, aged nine, was shot and wounded by a settler from Kiriyat Arba, and seven other Palestinians were injured when a settler drove into them with his car as they were riding on a horse and cart.

The Israeli peace organisation, Gush Shalom, said in its press release: “It could have been easily predicted that the settler funeral will be followed by the assault of settlers upon the inhabitants of Hebron — but nothing was done, either by the army or the police and other — to stop it from taking place. The government of Israel, which allowed the settlers to invade the heart of Hebron and allotted considerable military forces to the task of closely guarding the settlers, is directly responsible for the settlers' acts. A chief part in the responsibility rests upon defence minister Ben-Eliezer, the leader of the Labour Party.”

[From Palestine Monitor <http://www.palestinemonitor.org>.]

From Green Left Weekly, August 7, 2002.
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