7 activists protesting 'occupation' arrested in Hebron

Evacuation of the seven commences after the refuse to leave of their own accord as requested by police.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Hebron Machpelah 370 (photo credit: BiblePlaces.com)
Hebron Machpelah 370
(photo credit: BiblePlaces.com)
Six Israeli activists and one foreign activist were arrested in Hebron on Friday after protesting the pilgrimage that many religious Jews make at this time of year to commemorate the biblical figure of Sarah who is believed to be buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city.
The activists were arrested for congregating illegally in Gross Square after they refused to evacuate following the police's request.
Sarah's death is commemorated in this week's torah portion which is the reason for the pilgrimage in her honor.
The activists said that they did not disturb the peace and only wanted to set up an alternative "study tent" at the site under the banner "occupation is not my Judaism," Israel Radio reported.
Last month, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Jews in the West Bank city could move into a building next to the spot where a Palestinian sniper killed an Israeli soldier. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu made the statement just hours after the attack in a statement that spoke of the need to fight terror and support West Bank settlements.
After Netanyahu's announcement, 14 Palestinian families petitioned the High Court of Justice to stop settlers from moving into the three-story building across from the Cave of the Patriarchs.
Approximately 200,000 Palestinians and 800 Jewish settlers live in the southern West Bank city.