Netanyahu spoke in the holy city of Hebron to observe the 90th anniversary of the tragic massacre of Jews there by the local Arab population.
By United with Israel Staff and TPS
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a crowd gathered at the Tomb of the Patriarchs plaza in Hebron for the state memorial ceremony commemorating 90 years since the 1929 Hebron massacre, when Arabs brutally murdered and terrorized the city’s Jewish population in a horrific display of brutality.
“[W]e are not coming to banish anyone, [but] neither will anyone banish us. To cite the late Menachem Begin and the late Yigal Allon: ‘Hebron will not be devoid of Jews.’ It will not be Judenrein,” warned Netanyahu
“And I say on the 90th anniversary of the [massacre], we are not foreigners in Hebron, we will stay here forever. We always remember the eternal call of Caleb, son of Jephuneh, who was faithful to Hebron, and we act in accordance with it: ‘Let us go up,’” added Netanyahu, quoting the Bible
“I am proud that one year ago my government approved the plan for the Jewish Quarter, to build dozens of new housing units for the Jews of Hebron. Residents moved into Machpelah House last week. We are also dealing with other important issues that you brought up, regarding accessibility in the Tomb of the Patriarchs and the realization of the historic Jewish property rights,” he concluded.
Hebron’s Arabs Irate Over Netanyahu’s Visit
Meanwhile, tensions in Hebron were high on Wednesday as Netanyahu visited the city for the first time in two decades.
Mahmoud El-Habash, Supreme Shari’ah Judge in the PA and PA head Mahmoud Abbas’ Advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs, criticized the visit, claiming that “anyone who is not Muslim has no right at the Cave of the Patriarchs, and Netanyahu’s visit is a crime and against international law.”
Arab residents put up Palestinian and black flags on their rooftops and in the cemetery near the Jewish neighborhood of Hebron. A reporter for the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen news said that movement for Arabs in the city had been restricted, and some nearby stores were forced to close.
Issa Amru, an Arab Hebron resident and head of the committee against settlers in Hebron, told TPS that “the tension is rising because the residents are worried Netanyahu will make election promises that will strengthen the Jewish Community in Hebron at their expense.”
The Palestinian Authority warned of the severe consequences of “Netanyahu’s actions in Hebron, courting extreme groups.”
The Spokesperson for Hamas announced that Netanyahu intended to “break into” Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs, and that his visit is a “Zionist ploy to hurt the Muslim symbols.”
Other Palestinian organizations also called the visit a “break-in” and called upon the residents to “demonstrate” against the visit.
In reality, Hebron is home to around 200,000 Arabs, with approximately 1,000 Jews who live there and are forced to dwell in a tiny neighborhood where they are protected by the IDF from Palestinian terror and harassment by European “observer” groups.