Remembering the Ibrahimi mosque massacre

 

The Ibrahimi mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarch, south of the occupied West Bank in Hebron, is one of the holiest sites in all the Abrahamic religions,sacred to  bothJews and Muslims. alike believing that the building houses the earthly remains of the religious patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah, 

In the early morning of February 25th, 1994, local Palestinian Muslims had gathered for an important prayer in the holy month of Ramadan..

American-born Israeli settler  physician and extremist of the far-right ultra-Zionist Kach movement.

Baruch Goldstein entered the mosque wearing his IDF reserve uniform with a Galil rifle. He waited until he saw people kneeled and bowed down in prayer before opening fire on the worshippers. Goldstein, who was a retired army doctor, killed 29 innocent people and wounded 125 others, Several victims were as young as 12.  Eventually, a survivor hurled a fire extinguisher at his head, allowing the crowd to disarm and beat him to death.  

 The massacre led To widespread outrage and condemnation both within Israel and around the world. It also significantly escalated tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, contributing to a cycle of violence that has persisted in the region  to  thois day. 

Among the voices of dismay and repulsion were those who supported Goldstein’s actions and honored him after his death. Thousands attended Goldstein’s funeral, as they viewed his acts of terror as honorable. His body was transported under army transport through the occupied territories  Rabbi Yaacov Perrin led the funeral.  In paying homage to Goldstein, he told mourners:  "One million Arabs are not worth a Jewish fingernail!"

 Itamar Ben-Gvir:  Israel’s National Security Minister, and Netanyahu’s close friend, Itamar Ben-Gvir used to hang a portrait of Baruch Goldstein on his wall.  He described Goldstein as a “hero” and also stated "Blessed is the memory of Baruch Goldstein.”  

The terrorist attack took place during the Jewish holiday ‘Purim’ and many believe that Goldstein used the story of Amalek to justify the massacre. 

The story of Amalek goes as follows:  “The tribe of Amalek attacked the Israelites as they were journeying through the desert.  In response, God commanded the Israelites to utterly destroy the Amalekites, ordering them to kill every man, woman, child, and animal of the tribe.” 

This is the same story Benjamin Netanyahu used to justify Israel’s actions in Gaza; many soldiers accept Netanyahu’s command and kill every living thing in Gaza indiscriminately.

 And a  plaque near Goldstein’s grave states that he “gave his life for the Jewish people, the Torah and the nation of Israel.” Every year since, thousands of Israelis visit it to kiss his grave.

Later  on the  day  of the massacre, during and after the funeral processions of the victims, there were violent clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and occupation forces, with  Israeli soldiers killing an additional 21 Palestinians who took to the streets in the occupied territories to protest the massacre in al-Khalil. .

And instead of the ‘israeli’ occupation creating policies that would protect Palestinians  like  taking action against the extremist settlers in the city, particularly in the illegal Kiryat Arba settlement where Goldstein lived, by removing them from al-Khalil, the Israeli authorities punished the victims, the Palestinians. 

The Israeli army immediately closed down the area and, in the face of public anger, took the opportunity to enforce temporary closures in the city that later became permanent to facilitate settlement expansion. 

The sacred Mosque was divided down the middle, half of it given to settlers and turned into a synagogue. Hebron's main street, Shuhada Street, was gradually closed until no Palestinian national was allowed to even walk on it, let alone drive or open their shops. 

The front door of people's homes were welded shut while the families were still inside, and Hebron was turned into a ghost town. Israelis could use the streets freely and took over new buildings in the area while subjecting the remaining Palestinians to a reign of ongoing terror and harassment in an effort to drive them out of their homes.

.Following the  massacre there has been very strict security at the Cave of the Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque. Part of those measures was the division of the site, to avoid confrontation between worshippers. Jews enter through the southwestern side and use the corridors that run between the cenotaphs while Muslims enter by the northeastern side and use the remainder of the building. 

Many Palestinians in Palestine and around the world remain convinced that the massacre was a false flag, planned attack with at least some official backing that was aimed at dividing the mosque and Hebron, and establishing colonies, the presence of jewish settlers in the city.

Sadly Goldsteins beliefs now find greater acceptance within Israeli society, extending to the highest echelons of the government.In March 2023, the Israeli NGO ‘Break the Silence’ conducted a poll on Baruch Goldstein.  

Here were the results: Only 57% of Israeli Jews think Goldstein was a terrorist.  About 33% are unsure whether to regard him as a terrorist or a national hero. 20% of Israeli right-wing voters view Goldstein as a hero, while even  9% of left-wing voters do not see him as a terrorist. 

The irony of Goldstein's  story  is that despite studying medicine in the United States, he, instead of saving lives, ruthlessly killed and injured innocent worshippers. His legacy of bloodshed persists  in Gaza  and the West Bank. 

And over thirty years later, the horror of Baruch Goldstein’s deadly rampage is still fresh for Palestinian survivors,  at the  same time  the tragedy of war and occupation continues. Iin the past year, the situation keeps getting worse,  as  now  the supporters of Goldstein's massacre have gained political power and hold key positions in the Israeli government, the police,  and the army,  while Palestinian s in Hebron  daily face  demolitions, forcible displacement and Jewish settler attacks, .that we rarely hear about; compared with the horrors of Gaza and even the destruction of Jenin and Tulkarm.