CPTnet
31 August 2013
AL-KHALIL (HEBRON):
Israeli military order CPT and EAPPI to leave Ibrahimi Mosque vicinity
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| Palestinians Praying at Ibrahimi mosque while CPTers monitor |
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| photo by Tammie Danielsen, former EA |
On Friday the 30 August, Israeli border police aggressively
ordered CPT’s Hebron team and their partner organisation EAPPI (Ecumenical
Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel) to leave the area of the
Ibrahim mosque.
In recent months, Israeli forces have repeatedly ordered both
CPT and EAPPI have to remove anything that identifies them as working for an
international organisation, within a small strip of road adjacent to the
Ibrahim Mosque. Although this
edict is an apparent order from commanding officers, CPTers on the ground have
not seen it in writing despite having asked many times. Border Police (link) have enforced the
order randomly depending on the individual Border guard and who the commanding
officers are at the time.
On Friday, the Israeli forces took a new and more aggressive
stance, ordering CPT and EAPPI to completely leave the vicinity of the Ibrahimi
Mosque/Cave of Machpelah whilst the two groups were conducting their weekly
monitoring of soldiers and settlers present as Palestinian Muslims attend
Friday prayers.
Israeli Border guards confronted CPT and EAPPI about twenty
minutes after they arrived at the mosque.
One of them barked, “You will leave! Either you go on your own, or we will force you!”
