Settlers attack Palestinians in Tel Rumeida, Human Rights Workers (HRWs) Detained
UPDATE 10:30 PM March 18
The two HRWs were released from Kiryat Arba at 10:05 PM
At approx. 17:30 today, Sunday March 18th, two Palestinians, approx. 15 years old, were walking down Shuhadda Street in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron. As they walked towards the stairs near the Israeli settlement of Beit Hadassah, 8 Israeli settlers aged 10-15, started to attack the Palestinians with rocks.
Two human rights workers, From Denmark and Iceland who were monitoring the street intervened. The HRWs began filming the incident and called on the Israeli soldiers nearby for help. The soldiers left their post and took the Israeli settlers aside and the settlers stopped throwing rocks. The Palestinians continued home.
Anna Maria, a Danish human rights worker, called a volunteer of Machom Watch while the settler was threatening Anna Maria. The Machsom Watch volunteer translated what the settler was yelling in Hebrew. The volunteer said, “I felt very frightened for Anna Maria. The settler was calling Anna a “Bitch” and a “Nazi.” So I called the Kiryat Arba police for Anna and said there was a woman in danger. Otherwise the police wouldn’t have come at all.”
According to Anna Maria: “When the Israeli border police arrived they took my colleague and me to the Kiryat Arba police station for questioning.”
The HRWs are currently being held In the Kiryat Arba police station. They are giving their statements and that they do not believe they are being charged.
Video footage available upon request.
For more information contact : ISM media office 02-2971824