Rightists vandalize Hebron police chief's car

Extreme-Right activists hold reading of Book of Esther near Baruch Goldstein's grave in Kiryat Arba, replace Haman's name with those of Rabin, Sharon. Police chief's car tires punctured
Efrat Weiss

A number of right-wing activists punctured the tires of Hebron District police chief's car Saturday. Brig.-Gen. Ali Zamir's car was parked near the gravesite of Baruch Goldstein in Kiryat Arba, where several dozen activists and residents were reading the Book of Esther.

One teen was arrested on suspicion he held up a poster with Rabbi Meir Kahane's image.

During the reading of the book, the activists replaced the name of the villain in the story, Haman, with the names Arik and Rabin, and instead of the name Zeresh (Haman's wife), they yelled "Tzipi Livni" and "Leah Rabin." Instead of "The House of Haman", the participants said "Sycamore Farm."

The activists stood a few hundred meters away from the gravesite of Goldstein, who perpetrated the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre on Purim 1994, killing 25 Muslim worshippers in a mosque inside the compound.

Among the participants in the reading were extreme rightists Itamar Ben-Gvir, Noam Federman and Michael Ben-Horin.

'Glorification of Goldstein's actions'

Several hours before the event was due to take place, Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer demanded from the Judea and Samaria District police chief, Maj.-Gen. Yisrael Yitzhak to prevent the "annual Purim celebration."

According to Oppenheimer, "The reading of the book near the murderer's grave glorifies Goldstein's actions and serves as a platform for dangerous incitement, which might lead to violence."

"Furthermore, each year at the event, calls for another political murder are being heard," added.

"The traditional rampaging of settlers near the grave of Baruch Goldstein is a stain on Israeli society. This disturbance proves once again that the Kach Movement is alive and kicking. The only fitting response is to tear down the gravesite immediately," Oppenheimer concluded.

The police have placed roadblocks around the gravesite in order to stop right-wing activists from approaching the place, and a large police force was deployed in the area.

Radical Right sources told Ynet that they had no plans of "dancing on the grave. You don't dance on the grave. We perform the reading near the grave."

"This is a symbolic event that is being held every year. Dr. Goldstein symbolizes sticking to one's principles and to one's right to exist. What Goldstein did is the same as what Esther asked King Ahasuerus to do: To destroy, annihilate and kill all of Israel's enemies," they added.

Chairman of the Jewish Front movement, extreme rightist Baruch Marzel, claimed that the police desecrated the Shabbat by allegedly placing the roadblocks and driving dozens of policemen to the place before the end of the Shabbat.

"It appears that the Goldstein event is holier than the Shabbat," he stated.