This past weekend was a Jewish holiday commemorating the purchase of
Hebron by Abraham for the burial of Sarah. Yesterday, for several hours,
hundreds of illegal settlers, national-religious Jews and a large
accompanying Israeli military force passed through the Old City of
Hebron. As a result many shops had to close early and the freedom of
movement for Palestinians was restricted. As the groups passed through
the Old City, many shouted profanity at Palestinians, yelled chants,
draped Israeli flags over their backs and threatened to hit a volunteer
from the organization Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT). A star of David
was also spray-painted on the ground of the Old City.