RAMALLAH/GAZA, 9 March 2007 — Just two months after shocking footage of Israeli settler humiliating a Palestinian woman in Hebron revealed, yet another video shows settler children throwing rocks at Palestinian homes. Muhammad Abu Aisha said: “I yelled to the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and policemen standing 70 feet away but they pretended they couldn’t see”.

“The settlers continue to curse us and throw rocks at us, including the cursing settler Ifat Elkobi (she said to a Palestinian woman “whore” two months ago). Only this time she’s being smarter about it. She brings friends who live outside this area so we can’t recognize them and then can’t complain about them,” 70-year-old Abu Aisha told Arab News yesterday of the harassment and humiliation he suffers at the hands of his settler neighbors.

According to Abu Aisha, after the video of Elkobi was released the harassment lessened for several days, but since then it has returned to its original level. Abu Aisha said that on Wednesday a neighbor beat his grandson: “He started hitting Muhammad, my grandson, and I stood and shouted to the soldiers and policemen, who were standing 70 feet away to intervene but they pretended they couldn’t see. I called the police, I told them we’d been beaten and that the incident was filmed. They said: ‘bring in the video and come to file a complaint’, but we chose to give the movie to B’Tselem (Israeli human rights watchdog).”

B’Tselem said it transferred the video, which documents settler violence in full sight of Israeli soldiers, to the Israeli police in Hebron. The video reportedly shows girls from Hebron pelting eggs at Palestinians in the presence of an Israeli soldier and border police officer that made no move to stop them.

Following the distribution of the first video there was much discussion over the authorities Israeli soldiers have over settlers in such cases. However, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel proved that soldiers are compelled by law to act against the perpetrators.

Despite the fact that this attack is not the first or last of its kind, it gives a real image of how the Palestinians and Israeli settlers live in Hebron, according to Wye River agreement that divided the city to H1 and H2 sections. The H1 section, which contains the neighborhoods, was allocated to the Palestinians. The H2, which contains the religious and historic places in Hebron, was allocated to Israeli settlers.

Another place of harassment against the Palestinians in Hebron is Al-Shuhada (martyrs) Street and Tel Rumaida neighborhood. The Israeli forces closed the street, which cuts the center of Hebron after Al-Ibrahimi Mosque massacre in the year 1994. Despite the Israeli High Court ruling that the closing of Shuhada Street had been a “mistake” and Palestinians have the right of access, the Israeli forces continue to deny passage to Palestinians along it.

The continued violence of Israeli settlers toward Palestinians in the Tel Rumaida has forced most of its residents to move out and those remaining to suffer daily harassment from settlers and the Israeli forces.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians tried to force their way through Gaza’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt yesterday in a melee in which one man suffered a fatal heart attack and five people were wounded by gunfire, medics said. The crossing, Gaza’s only link to the outside world that does not pass through Israel, is often closed by Israeli authorities, which control access of European monitors to the site. The monitors suspended operations in response to the chaos.

Flocking to a rare opening of the frontier, some 6,000 people turned up at the Gaza side of the crossing, creating a crush at the terminal that Palestinian security forces could not control. Some travelers said tempers flared after Palestinian policemen brought their friends and relatives to the head of the line ahead of people who had been waiting for hours. Police denied the allegations.

Omar Qazaa, a 61-year-old Palestinian who had been waiting at the crossing since Wednesday night, suffered a heart attack as the crowd surged forward. Medical workers said he died later in hospital. As travelers continued to push toward the border, a gunfight erupted between President Mahmoud Abbas’ presidential guard and Palestinian policemen. Witnesses said at least five people, including two of Abbas’ guards, were wounded.