Disturbance in Hebron
Photo: Reuters
Kibbutz members in support of settlers
Kibbutz member: 'These are pioneers of Hebron, just like the Kibbutz movement had pioneers; there's no difference between us'
On the eve of plans to carry out the evacuation of the Amona outposts and settlers from the Hebron market, a surprising show of support has emerged for the embattled settlers: Kibbutz members and moshav residents, usually identified with the Left's wish to leave the territories, have aligned themselves with Hebron settlers slated for evacuation. They have organized a conference of support, to be held in Hebron on Tuesday.
"At a time when they are trying to expel Jews from their legal land, there are 700,000 Jews and Arabs in the country who live in illegal homes and nobody cares. Why are they singling out the wonderful pioneers who live in Hebron." This sentence was said not by a right-wing person or senior official in Yesha, but by Tzafrir Ronen, one of the organizers of the conference of support and identification with the settlers by Kibbutz members, under the banner: The working communities and citizens of Israel are with the community of Hebron."
"These are pioneers of Hebron just like the Kibbutz movement had pioneers," said Ronen. "There's no difference between us."
Meanwhile, IDF Central Command Chief Yair Naveh signed restraining orders against 21 right-wing activists following suspicions that they will attempt to harm security forces and Palestinians during the course of the evacuation of the Amona outpost and the Hebron market.
The IDF and police are preparing to carry out the clearance this week. They are expected to work along similar lines to the way the disengagement from Gaza was implemented.
'We won't abandon pioneers of Jewish Hebron'
"These are wonderful people who are loyal to the country, but the media has turned them into animals," Ronen added. "The people who set up Kiryat-Arba and Gush Katif were members of the Labor party. The same is true of the settlements of the Jordan Valley, and communities in the Golan Heights. The youths don't know this, and they are ensuring that the youths remain ignorant of this. The first group of pioneers in Netzarim, for example, was from the Hashomer Hatzair (Zionist left-wing youth movement). I myself have seen how the police create provocation and the media just takes pictures. There's no way around it – the media is political," he said.
Organizers of the conference have announced that officers, academics, and religious leaders from various kibbutzim and moshav communities will attend.
"We won't leave our friends, the pioneers of Jewish Hebron, alone against the malicious war launched against them," an advertisement for the conference said. "We'll strengthen them and be with them during the difficult hour because their struggle is our struggle."
