Jewish Settlers, Forces Clash in Hebron

 
     This is a critique of an article written by Said Ghazali for
the Associated Press which appeared in the December 26 1996
Philadelphia Inquirer.

	Said Ghazali reported that "Jewish settlers clashed 
with authorities who blocked them from occupying three 
empty houses in Hebron".  In the long article that followed 
he never mentioned the reasons why the settlers tried to 
occupy the three houses in Hebron.  There were two major 
reasons for occupying the buildings, according to the 
protesters:

1. According to the Oslo Accords, all Jewish property that 
was confiscated from its Jewish owners following the 1929 
massacre and was not returned to the Jewish community, is 
to be transferred to Arafat and the Palestinian authority on 
the implementation of the agreement.

2. The buildings in the Kasbah, adjacent to the Avraham 
Avinu neighborhood, have been abandoned for decades. 
They are presently being renovated by order of the 
Palestinian Authority. Their intentions are to populate these 
buildings with 600 'freed prisoners' i.e. terrorists, as soon as 
the renovations are completed."  Should these buildings be 
filled with terrorists, security in the Avraham Avinu 
neighborhood will be gravely endangered."

	Mr. Ghazali, instead of quoting the settlers, quoted 
Mahmoud Abbas as saying that their actions would torpedo 
the peace process.   Mr. Ghazali in this subtle way, 
convinces the reader that the settlers are against peace when 
in reality they are standing up for their rights and acting in 
self defence.

 
					Submitted by: 
 
					Mark Feinstein 
 
	

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