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| The missing mezuzah |
The sacred site of the Tomb of The Patriarchs was vandalized for the third time this month, according to a report by the Tazpit News Agency.
For the third time this month Muslims frequenting the Tomb of Patriarchs desecrated Jewish religious objects at the site, tearing the Mezuzahs off the doorposts again and stealing them. They took advantage of the special visiting privileges the Muslims receive during the month of Ramadan, during which the Tomb of Patriarchs is opened only for Muslims and closed for Jews on Fridays of the month and the special dates.
Local police announced they have arrested two Palestinians in connection with the vandalism, but that they were still searching for the thieves. The act was recorded by surveillance cameras. A member of the Waqf was nearby during the act of sabotage.
The site administration has decided to limit access of Palestinians in response to these repetitive attacks. Muslims aged 18 – 35 will not receive access on the special days allocated to Muslims. They further stated they would not allow such actions to continue without a response and that they were taking further actions to prevent such attacks in the future.
Following the previous attack, Member of Knesset Orit Struk, a resident of Hebron, told Tazpit News Agency: "The Arabs took the opportunity they had on Friday to desecrate the Mezuzot. We cannot be silent about this incident. During the 700 years of Muslim occupation the Tomb of the Patriarchs was completely closed to Jews. Today, when the State of Israel is considerate of Muslims holidays and enables them full use of the site – they exploit it to harm Jewish symbols. I expect the Muslim leaders in Hebron and Israel to apologize to the Jewish People and condemn this heinous episode."
