Palestinian activists on Sunday launched a campaign aimed at protecting local residents against settler attacks in the West Bank city of Hebron (Al-Khalil).
Mohamed Zghayyar, a spokesman for the NGO Youth Coalition Against Settlements, told Anadolu Agency:
“The campaign aims to provide protection to local residents around the clock.”
Since Israel has expelled TIPH from Hebron, we are forming our own human rights monitoring and protection team.
On our first day out, while escorting Palestinian children to school we were assaulted by settlers pic.twitter.com/AmL7ilTdsn
— Issa Amro عيسى عمرو ?? (@Issaamro) February 10, 2019
The move followed Israel’s refusal to renew the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH).
The force had been monitoring the city for the past 20 years.
Scores of Palestinian activists accompanied students while going to school in the city as part of the campaign.
BREAKING: physically assaulted this morning by notorious settlers as we try to escort Palestinian children to school.
Since Israel has expelled TIPH from Hebron, we are forming our own human rights monitoring and protection team.
Video via @ShehabAgencyEn pic.twitter.com/O2BI8bhylO
— Issa Amro عيسى عمرو ?? (@Issaamro) February 10, 2019
Zghayyar said Palestinians in Hebron are facing repeated attacks and assaults by settlers and Israeli forces on a daily basis.
He added:
“Activists are working around the clock to document [Israeli] violations and expose practices of the Israeli occupation.”
Illegal settlers attacked on Saturday night houses of Palestinians in #Hebron and threw stones at it under protection of IOF. #IsraeliCrimes #ApartheidIsrael https://t.co/krfP29gp0t
— Myriam.W مريم الوردي (@MyriamWardei) February 10, 2019
Composed of 64 international observers from Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Turkey, the TIPH was established under UN Security Council resolution 904.
The resolution was adopted following Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in 1994 when Jewish extremist Baruch Goldstein gunned down 29 Palestinian worshippers.
The Palestinians of Al-Khalil (Hebron city, Palestine) are forced to walk at a narrow path while the illegal Israeli settlers move on a road "only for Israelis" under the protection of the occupation army. This is Apartheid Israel! pic.twitter.com/tRpjKzTeav
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 10, 2019
Hebron is currently home to some 160,000 Palestinian Muslims and around 500 Jewish settlers. The latter live in a series of Jewish-only enclaves heavily guarded by Israeli troops.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
