Med hälsning från Hebron

An open letter to: The Honorable Robert Rydberg, Ambassador to Israel from
Sweden

22 November 2006

The Honorable Robert Rydberg
Ambassador
Embassy of Sweden
Asia House
4, Rehov Weizmann
64 239 Tel Aviv
Israel
Fax: 03 718 00 05
ambassaden.tel-aviv@foreign.ministry.se

Dear Mr. Rydberg,

We have been informed that the Swedish foreign ministry has
appealed to the government of Israel concerning an attack
on Swedish citizen Tove Johansson, in Hebron, on Saturday
afternoon, 18 November 2006.
According to press reports, Ms. Johansson is a member of
the extremist Palestinian organization International
Solidarity Movement (ISM) and was in Hebron as part of a
protest against the Israeli presence in the city.

We would like to clarify several points concerning this incident:

1. The Jewish community of Hebron rejects any and all unnecessary
violence of all kinds, by anyone, be they Arab or Jewish. This is
community policy, and is enforced to the best of our ability.

2. ISM has had a presence in Hebron for over a year, and other
foreign organizations, including TIPH, CPT, and others have had
a presence in Hebron for a number of years. Very rarely, if at
all, have there been any violent incidents between Hebron's Jewish
residents and members of ISM. Community residents do their best to
ignore them. At most, there are verbal exchanges between the two
sides. We are unfamiliar with complaints issued by ISM activists
against Hebron's Jewish residents.

3. In accordance with the above paragraph, and keeping in mind the
fact that over 30,000 Jews visited Hebron on 18 Nov 2006,
celebrating the purchase of the Tomb of the Patriarchs for the
Jewish people by Abraham some 3,700 years ago, it is clear that
the perpetrator(s) of the attack were not residents of Hebron's
Jewish community.

a. Hebron residents do not, and have not, physically attacked ISM
members in Hebron.

b. Hebron's residents are known by security forces in the city,
and anyone participating in such an attack would have been easily
identified and apprehended. However, the police have yet to
identify or arrest anyone who participated in the attack.

c. According to press accounts, one of the perpetrators was quoted
as having said, "I have a flight to France tonight."

d. The fact that an overwhelming majority of the people in Hebron
on Saturday, 18 Nov 2006 were not Hebron residents, along with the
above-mentioned facts, is clearly proof that no members of
Hebron's Jewish community participated in the attack against
Ms. Johansson.

4. According to press accounts, police and other security forces
requested, prior to the attack, that Ms. Johansson and other
protesters vacate the area, due to the sensitivity of their
presence. It must be remembered that strict Sabbath observance
forbids use of cameras and other such equipment.
Photographing people who object to use of cameras on the Sabbath
is extremely sensitive and many people object to being
photographed on the Sabbath. Ms. Johansson and others were
requested by Israeli security forces and others to refrain from
photographing Sabbath observers, however, they refused this
request. This, of course, does not justify physical attack,
however, clearly, had the protestors acceded to this request,
most likely the attack would have been avoided.

5. According to various internet accounts, the attackers yelled,
"we killed Jesus and we will kill you too." According to
eye-witnesses at the scene, this accusation is false. No such
phrase was uttered.

6. In addition, according to some written accounts, Ms. Johansson
did not receive proper first-aid care from medics that arrived at
the scene. This is also a blatant lie. Medics from the Hebron
community arrived in a community ambulance, determined the cause
of the injury, and then treated Ms. Johansson just as any other
injured person is cared for. The Hebron Jewish community ambulance,
together with medic and driver, drove Ms. Johansson to
Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, according her full treatment.

7. Finally, the presence of ultra extremist anti-Israel -
anti-Jewish organizations such as ISM and other such groups in
Hebron is, as can be understood, extremely unpopular amongst
Hebron residents and community supporters. Their presence is
clearly provocative, with the goal of aiding Arab terrorists who
attempt to murder Hebron Jewish residents and support the aim of
expelling Jews entirely from the city. As stated above, Hebron's
Jewish community does its utmost to ignore these people, despite
the trouble they cause the community, action which, at times,
borders on clear incitement against Hebron's Jewish residents as well
as Israeli security forces in the area. The fact that during such
a huge Sabbath celebration, ISM members saw fit to continue
public protest, utilizing instruments as cameras on the Sabbath,
and photographing people against their will on the Sabbath, is a
tremendous provocation. Again, unnecessary violence cannot be
justified, but neither can overt public provocation against such
a large gathering. Had they refrained from demonstrating, the
attack would not have occurred.

8. In conclusion, the Jewish community of Hebron would suggest to
the Swedish Foreign Ministry that in order to avoid any other
unpleasant incidents in Hebron, that all Swedish citizens,
including members of TIPH and others, such as Ms. Johansson, be
requested to stop their politically provocative anti-Jewish
activities, leave Hebron immediately and stop interfering in
internal Israeli affairs.

Sincerely,

David Wilder Noam Arnon
Hebron Community Council Members
Spokesmen
The Jewish Community of Hebron