RAMALLAH: On Friday protesters assembled in central Hebron to demand the opening of Shuhada Street. Ma'an News Agency reports clashes between the demonstrators and Israeli soldiers. Shuhada Street was once an important artery in Hebron, but its usage was restricted following the 1994 Baruch Goldstein Massacre, in which an American-born Israeli soldier entered the Al-Ibrahimi Mosque and opened fire on worshippers, killing 29 and injuring over 100. Friday's demonstration came on the 19th anniversary of the massacre. The road was completely closed to Palestinian use during the Second Palestinian Intifada. Hebron's residents also suffer regular curfews, housing evictions, military checkpoints, random searches, home raids, and street closures, among other arbitrary forms of punishment. Witnesses said Israeli soldiers attacked the peaceful protest by firing tear gas and clashing with individuals. One source on Facebook said a 19-year-old foreign activist's cheekbone was broken by an Israeli settler, though BikyaNews.com has not been able to confirm. Hebron is the largest city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It is home to some 165,000 Palestinians and 500 Israeli settlers. Hebron's settlers are often accused of attacks on Palestinian civilians and international visitors, and the military is criticized for failing to prosecute them. Although all Israeli settlements are illegal under international law, some 500,000 settlers are densely scattered across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. In November, the United Nations General Assembly voted to approve a resolution upgrading Palestine to an “observer state," recognizing its sovereignty in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. BN
