Peace Now activists protest Hebron settlers
Some 150 Peace Now activists protest near Hebron after 'cursing settler' incident. They taunt police officers: 'Chickens. Why didn't you arrest Yifat Elkobi?'
The protestors clashed with the police, and called out: "The unruly Right is a danger to Israel."
They also booed the police and defense minister, calling, "Defense minister, be ashamed of yourself. How many settlers have you arrested until today?" and "We have a police force of chickens. Why haven't you arrested Yifat Elkobi?"
The police arrested the activists on their way to Hebron. The police officers tore up some of their signs.
Peace Now protest Thursday near Hebron (Photo: Yoav Galai)
Ruti Tirosh, an activist in the movement for close to 40 years, said, "This isn't a neighborly spat. This is a political attempt to expel the Palestinians from their land. The entire people of Israel pay with their lives and health for what is happening here in Hebron."
"We planned on visiting the family that was insulted, to apologize, and to say that not everyone is like Yifat Elkobi. Is this a Jew? I ask myself. What appears in the video clip is only the tip of the iceberg, and we know that this is the daily reality," she stated.
Prof. Shifra Sagi from Ben Gurion University said to Ynet, "The police made a big mistake when they denied us the right to protest, to show solidarity with the family, and to show that there are other kinds of Jews. The video is something small. There are things going on in the daily reality, and we simply aren't told of them."
'Leftist fascist front'
Dozens of Right-wing activists from throughout the country organized a counter-protest and held up signs saying, "Peace Now – the leftist fascist front," "Peace Now on the frontlines of the psychological war against Israel," and "Peace Now – there is no more Israel."
The Right-wing activists taunted the Peace Now activists: "You are the real threat to Israel. What do you know, anyway? You live in north Tel Aviv. We are the citizens of Israel who care."
One of the Right-wing activists, Tsafrir Ronen, turned angrily to the media and the Left-wing activists: "The pres serves fascism. I see this activist waving a sign. Let's see you waving that sign in front of the terrorists. Yossi Sarid came in an armored bus to this protest."
After two hours of demonstration, the police separated the Left-wing and Right-wing activists as they got on their buses. The settlers said to the protestors: "We are returning to Hebron to pray for you." The Left-wing activists responded: "We are returning to the sane Israel."
