Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., November 23, 2008 Cheshvan 25, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:12 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

Hilltop youth not impressed by calls for passive resistance to Hebron house eviction By Nadav Shragai When residents of the so-called House of Contention in Hebron awoke yesterday, they were shocked to learn of the previous night's clashes between settlers and Israel Defense Forces soldiers. They were equally shocked by the graffiti proclaiming "Mohammed is a pig" that had been scrawled on the walls of a nearby mosque and Palestinian houses. But it did not take them long to figure out who was responsible: dozens of teens from the northern West Bank who had relocated to the Hebron area earlier this week to participate in the struggle after the High Court of Justice ordered residents to vacate the house until another court decides whether Jews or Palestinians own it. Advertisement The residents promptly gathered the teens for a stiff lecture. "We don't intend to wage our struggle this way, or through any kind of violence," declared one. "This isn't helpful, it's harmful." Orit Struck, one of the leaders of Hebron's Jewish community, stressed that just a few days ago, local activists had made a decision that "the struggle for the house would be waged without violence." If you disagree with our methods, residents concluded by telling the visitors, we would rather you go back home. They noted that leaders of the Jewish communities of Hebron and neighboring Kiryat Arba, along with the Yesha Council of settlements and sympathetic Knesset members, have been working to reach an agreement with the government on postponing the evacuation until after the February 10 elections, and violence undermines these efforts. Nevertheless, some of the condemnations were less than wholehearted. Struck, for instance, followed her condemnation by insisting that the real responsibility for "setting the area on fire" nevertheless lay with the government for deciding to evacuate the house. And MK Uri Ariel (National Union) urged the prime minister to investigate whether agent provocateurs were not responsible for the violence, citing the precedent of Shin Bet security service agent Avishai Raviv. Raviv, tasked with infiltrating right wing extremist groups, was later found to have organized some of the most vicious protests against then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Meanwhile, reinforcements continued to stream into the house yesterday: Daniel and Ronit, a couple from Kiryat Arba, moved into one room along with their nine children, while Hanoch Kahane of Givat Harsina, a nephew of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, moved into another with his wife and nine children. Despite a strict regimen governing when residents can do laundry, turn on lights and heat water, the strain on the house's electrical circuits have been causing them to short out a few times a day. Most of the newcomers insist that they, too, plan to eschew violence. "There will be stubborn passive resistance here, nothing more - at least as far as it depends on me," said Kahane's wife, who declined to give her name. Having been present at the violent clashes during the evacuation of Amona in February 2006, she added, she could not face the thought of another violent struggle. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Mikaeel Jackson Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam. Peace now Abbas calls on Obama to enact Arab peace plan as soon as he takes office.

Read & React 20,000 Jewish pilgrims to descend on Hebron amid settler violence Responses: 222 Experts argue: How close is Iran to its first nuclear weapon? Responses: 135 Video: Prof. Avi Shlaim says settlements turn Israel into Apartheid state Responses: 181 Debate over Museum of Tolerance - an exchange Responses: 23 PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo: The Palestinian people need Obama's help Responses: 76 Gideon Levy: Israeli left was born in sin and died because of a lie Responses: 91 More Headlines 21:39 Settler teens attack Border police in Hebron 21:55 Qassams strike western Negev in latest threat to fragile truce 00:20 Obama's Mideast peace platform is coming into focus 15:00 Abbas calls on Obama to enact Arab peace plan as soon as he takes office 22:13 Top Israeli diplomats in Turkey kicked out of Istanbul university 22:49 Hollywood in Netanya: Ben Stiller and Chris Rock in coastal city for 'Madagascar 2' premiere 00:22 Hezbollah: 'Zionist Lobby' behind Germany's decision to ban Al-Manar TV station 10:08 Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel 23:00 Visiting Argentine president offers Libya help with nuclear power 13:11 Your land is my land 20:47 Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam 19:59 Peru police nab Israeli for plotting to smuggle a half a ton of cocaine to Europe 13:10 Report: Hezbollah carries out military drills in south Lebanon 16:10 Syria: No more UN visits to alleged nuclear site Previous Editions Select Day 21 nov 20 nov 19 nov 18 nov 17 nov 16 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov

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