Sweden: Israeli response to Hebron attack lacking

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"The Swedish government is dissatisfied with Israel's investigation of an attack in the contentious West Bank city of Hebron that left a Swedish activist with a broken cheekbone, the Swedish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

"We're concerned that this hasn't been followed up, and we intend to speak to the relevant authorities and ask for more information about the incident," said Petra Hansson, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Foreign Ministry.

The Swede, Tove Johansson, a volunteer with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, suffered a broken cheekbone and a fracture near her eye on Saturday when a group of European activists were assaulted by Jews in the heart of Hebron, according to Jason Brown, another activist present at the time of the clash.

None of the assailants were apprehended, police said."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378452169&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[mike_c]

1. police and IDF made no attempt to apprehend the assailants...

...but rather stood by and watched the Israelis terrorize and attack the peacekeepers and the children. Afterward the police simply let the assailants go. Shameful.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. If that's the case, it's totally shameful...

..but it'd also be a pretty good clue that the Swedish govt's requests for more information and to clear up the incident will be met with a stone wall...

[mike_c]

5. the police and IDF let it happen-- they watched and moved in...

...to disperse the Israelis only when they began beating the young Swedish woman in the face with the bottle and she went down. According to reports, they checked a few IDs and then sent everyone away.

[lonestarnot]

2. Yikes, there aren't 3 dead men in the street are there?

And if so how long have they been there?

[azurnoir]

4. And we're surprised why????????

Maybe Sweden and the rest of the EU should boycott oranges and orange juice, if they haven't already.
I believe most of the EU's oranges come from Israel.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. Wouldn't it make more sense to demand an explanation? n/t

[azurnoir]

8. Of course it does

but the fact that Israel is giving the matter it's usual non-response is not a surprise, maybe it is time to take actions, the UN is hogtied by unfortunately by my governments veto power.

[Jcrowley]

7. More on the story

Human Rights Worker Injured In Hebron
Sunday, 19 November 2006, 1:33 pm
Press Release: International Solidarity Movement
Human Rights Worker Injured In Hebron

A 19-year old Swedish human rights worker had her jaw broken by an Israeli settler in Hebron today.

Tove Johansson from Stockholm was standing beside a checkpoint into the Tel Rumeida district of Hebron with a group of Palestinian schoolchildren trying to get to their homes.

Around 50 adult settlers then approached the group and started kicking and spitting at them. The IDF and Border Police looked on without intervening. One settler then smashed Tove in the face with a hard object, splitting open her jaw. Tove is currently receiving treatment in Hadassah Ein Keren hospital in Jerusalem.

Earlier in the day at least 5 Palestinians, including a 3-year old child, were injured by settlers, who rampaged through Tel Rumeida hurling stones and bottles at local residents. Palestinian schoolchildren on their way home were also attacked. The IDF, which was intensively deployed in the area, did not intervene to stop the settlers.

Ends

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0611/S00324.htm

[IntiRaymi]

9. This is appalling:

"Earlier in the day at least 5 Palestinians, including a 3-year old child, were injured by settlers, who rampaged through Tel Rumeida hurling stones and bottles at local residents. Palestinian schoolchildren on their way home were also attacked. The IDF, which was intensively deployed in the area, did not intervene to stop the settlers."

What disgusting racism. And the condonement of this act by these worthless IDF via inaction.

[breakaleg]

10. This incident says more about Israeli policy than all of the stuff we read

in the news. It's easy to spout platitues about wanting peace and defending yourself. But condoning abuse by the settlers speaks more to the truth.

And before someone says that Israel apologizes or condems these attacks, the mere fact that IDF soldiers stood by and watched, doing nothing, and then not arresting the offenders proves that this is an acceptable Israeli policy.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[UndertheOcean]

12. kick

n/t

[number6]

13. notice how this was NOT in our MSM

media anywhere :shrug:

[oberliner]

14. Anti-Semitic Groups Using This Incident to Incite Jew-Hatred

Stormfront, National Vanguard, and other similar web sites have chosen to amplify this story in an effort to promote Jew-hatred.

Specifically the line “We killed Jesus, we’ll kill you too!” tends to headline the ISM story linked on these "white power" sites. (often accompanied by editorial commentary)

It is shameful to see how quickly these white supremacist groups will utilize incidents like this as propaganda tools to advance their agenda of Jew-hatred.

Those images of a white, blonde, Swedish young woman bleeding from an attack by yarmulke-wearing, bearded, Orthodox Jewish men are sadly being used as we speak as part of their viciously racist agenda.

I hope that ordinary people will be able to distinguish between these settlers and the Jewish people in general.

I fear that many do not.

[Stockholm]

15. Oops I got deleted, forgot the photo ban in I/P

An open letter to the Swedish Foreign office from Spokesmen David Wilder and Noam Arnon, Hebron Community Council Members, The Jewish Community of Hebron, in which they bring forward "arguments" that bears witness that no citizen of Hebron touched Ms. Johansson and as the real kicker, inadvertedly blames the French!

snip

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 November 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.

snip

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, 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.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=6718

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Just keep dodging this Mr. Arnon and Mr. Wilder. There is a conservative government in Sweden now, with a tough female conservative Justice Minister. I could be stupid alienating the most Israel-friendly government in years, even though the fmr Head of Parliament publicly defended Israel on many occasions. Real stupid...

[Scurrilous]

16. Israel: Fear for Safety (23 November 2006)

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE150922006?open&of=ENG-2MD

<snip>

ISRAEL/OT Human rights defenders in the Occupied Territories

"Human rights defenders working in the Occupied Territories are at risk of attack by Israeli settlers. Amnesty International is concerned at the latest such attack against those who seek through their presence to afford protection to Palestinians and to bear witness to the abuses perpetrated against them by Israeli settlers in the area.

On 18 November, Tove Johannsson, a 19-year old Swedish human rights defender, was assaulted by Israeli settlers as she accompanied Palestinian schoolchildren through an Israeli army checkpoint near the Tel Rumeida Israeli settlement in the West Bank city of Hebron."

<snip>

"According to the ISM, one of the human rights defenders who witnessed the attack identified three of the assailants to the police but, after detaining them briefly, police released the three settlers, and threatened to arrest the remaining human rights activists if they did not leave the area immediately. Tove Johannsson filed a complaint with the Israeli police and her colleagues gave witness statements, but none of the assailants are known to have been arrested. On 21 November, the Swedish Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the assault.


This latest attack is one of many perpetrated by Israeli settlers against international human rights defenders in recent months and years, seemingly in an attempt to discourage and eliminate the presence of international witnesses, thereby depriving the local Palestinian population of this limited form of protection."

<snip>

"A detailed study published earlier this year by the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights, which seeks to promote law enforcement in cases of settlers’ violence, found that 90 percent of complaints filed with the Israeli police against Israeli settlers’ attacks were closed without indictments being issued; and that in the rare cases when assailants were indicted and convicted for such attacks, the sentencing was not commensurate with the nature of the attacks."

See:

http://www.yesh-din.org/site/index.php?page=report&lang=en )