Swedish human rights worker subject of vicious attacked by Jewish extremists in Hebron

This vicious and unprovoked attack was perpetrated against a young woman who was simply trying to protect children from harassment on their way home from school. Apparently this is the way the run up to Universal Children's Day is "celebrated" by the illegal occupants of Hebron. Their behaviour towards the children and the human rights workers shows them up for what they are - nothing more than barbaric and hate-filled thugs fuelled by the delusions of grandeur bestowed upon them by a supremacist and fundamentally racist ideology. The article reproduced below tells the story....

A 19-year old Swedish human rights worker had her face slashed and cheekbone broken by a Jewish extremist in Hebron today. Earlier in the same day at least five Palestinians, including a 3-year-old child, were injured by other Jewish extremists who rampaged through Tel Rumeida hurling stones and bottles at local residents. Palestinian schoolchildren on their way home were also attacked. The Israeli army, which was intensively deployed in the area, did not intervene or attempt to stop the attacks.

Tove Johansson, who comes from Stockholm, walked through the checkpoint at Tel Rumeida with a small group of human rights workers accompanying Palestinian schoolchildren to their homes. They were confronted by around a hundred Jewish extremists who are reported to have chanted in Hebrew “We killed Jesus, we’ll kill you too!” — a taunt the settlers are reported to have been directing at international workers in Tel Rumeida all day.

After about thirty seconds of waiting at the checkpoint, a small group of very aggressive male Jewish extremists surrounded the international volunteers and began spitting at them, so much so that the volunteers described it as “like rain.” Then men from the back of the crowd began jumping up and spitting, while others from the back and side of the crowd kicked at the volunteers. The soldiers, who were standing at the checkpoint just a few feet behind the volunteers merely looked on as they were being attacked.

One settler then hit Tove on the left side of her face with an empty bottle, breaking it on her face and leaving her with a broken cheekbone. She immediately fell to the ground and the group of extremists who were watching began to clap, cheer, and chant. The soldiers, who had only watched until this point, then came forward and motioned at the settlers, in a manner which the volunteers described as “ok… that’s enough guys.”

The extremists, however, were allowed to stay in the area and continued watching and clapping as other human rights workers attempted to stem the flow of blood from the young woman’s face. Some even tried to take photos of themselves next to her bleeding face, while giving the camera a “thumbs-up” sign. At this point, a volunteer was taken into a police van and asked to identify who had attacked the group. The volunteer did this, pointing out three Jewish extremists who the police then took into their police vehicles. However, the extremists were all driven to different neighbouring areas and released almost immediately. When one of the three was released on Shuhada Street, the crowd that was still celebrating the woman’s injuries applauded and cheered.

A medic who is also a settler came to the scene about 15 minutes after the attack and instead of treating the young woman immediately began interrogating the volunteers as to why they were in Hebron. He refused to help the bleeding woman lying on the street in any way. Five minutes after he arrived, an army medic arrived and began treating the injured woman. When she was later put on a stretcher, the crowd again clapped and cheered. The injured woman, Tove, was taken to Kiryat Arba settlement and then to Hadassah Ein Keren hospital in Jerusalem.

Police officers at the scene then began threatening to arrest the remaining human rights workers if they did not immediately leave the area, despite the fact that they had done nothing illegal and had just been attacked.

The volunteers were later told by the police that they had not even taken the names of those who were identified as having carried out the attack and that one of the main assailants had simply told the police that he was due at the airport in two hours to fly back to France.

The incident was the latest attack by extremist Jews in Hebron. The small group of Khannist settlers in Tel Rumeida regularly attack and harass Palestinians in the area. The violence is also directed at international human rights workers who accompany Palestinians in an attempt to protect them from settler attack.

The settlers in Tel Rumeida encourage Jewish tourists to come to support them, as a way of making up for their small numbers. Today, hundreds had come from tours in Israel for a special event — many from overseas: France, England and the United States.

Edited from original article: ISM Hebron

By reproducing an edited version of the article originally posted on the International Solidarity Movement website it is not my intention to suggest that this sort of behaviour is representative of all Jewish people, nor that it is supported by all Jewish people, as this clearly is not the case. However, this is a significant part of what is Israel is and has become, and is a harsh daily reality for the Palestinian victims. The irrational hate manifested by these extremists can not be ignored or justified and needs to be both aired and addressed