Subject: News from Hebron:Shooting in Hebron
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 12:56:55 +0200
From: Hebron <[email protected]>

News from Hebron
The Hebron Press Office
May 21, 2001
 

Shooting in Hebron

Again, at 11:00 this morning, Arafat's armed forces began shooting from the Shalhevet (Abu Sneneh) Hills at the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. No injuries were reported. Israeli soldiers ineffectively returned the gunfire. In response to the shooting Hebron residents began climbing the hills in an attempt to force the Israeli army to retake them and eliminate the enemy forces.

Last night, from 11:30 to 2:00 AM, Arafat snipers shot at Beit Hadassah and Tel Rumeida from the Harat a'Shech hills. Heavy gunfire filled the air. The Israeli reaction was negligible. Again, no one was hurt.

This morning a van transporting teachers was shot at near the Otniel
junction, south of Hebron. Seven bullets hit the vehicle, but no one was hit.

A Hebron spokesman issued the following statement: This is the only place in the world where murderers roam free, shooting at
Jews whenever their heart desires.

Throughout Israel, when communities are attacked, the army has started to react. When mortars hit Sderot, the army entered Gazza. When Gilo was attacked, the army went into Beit Jala. On Friday Israeli bombed Shechem with F-16 aircraft and attack helicopters. Yesterday Israeli forces shot at Jibril Rajoub's home in Ramallah. Only when Hebron is attacked, there is no effective response.

For almost eight months Hebron has been under fire. A 10 month old baby was killed. The Israeli government did absolutely nothing in response to the murder. Israeli soldiers are forced to literally sit on their hands while Arafat's forces shoot at them and at the civilian population they are supposed to protect.

As long as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Fuad ben Eliezer do not order the army to retake the hills surrounding us, we consider ourselves to have been abandoned. The terrorists shoot freely and we are the target. Ariel Sharon was not elected to ignore our security needs, rather, to solve them.