Arrested Land of Israel Activists Released on Bail
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Jerusalem police released on bail three women arrested earlier on Wednesday for breaching the security fence surrounding the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem.
The three Land of Israel activists, including the wife of Kiryat Arba Mayor Tzvi Katzover, were arrested when they took part in an effort by 200 people to reach Rachel’s Tomb on foot. Dozens of youth managed to breach the fence and enter the sanctified site, exemplifying one of the messages of their protest – that fences are no security solution. The protesters were confronted by police and IDF soldiers, who failed to prevent the breach.
The Kol Rina news agency reports that the arrested women were violently beaten by the riot police who arrested them.
3 Arrested Breaching a Fence Around Rachel’s Tomb
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Three people were arrested today for breaching the fence bordering the Tomb of Rachel, the Biblical matriarch, located in Bethlehem. Among those arrested was Yehudit Katzover, the wife of Kiryat Arba’s mayor.
Approximately 200 Land of Israel activists made their way on foot to the outskirts of Bethlehem in an effort to reach Rachel’s Tomb. The group was protesting the restrictions on Jewish access to the site, as well as physically demonstrating the ineffectiveness of fences in providing security. Dozens of the marchers managed to dig under the fence and make it to the tomb, despite efforts by police and soldiers to keep the activists out.
Nadia Matar, co-chairperson of Women in Green, told reporters that her group is calling for an end to the “policy of fences and walls” and for the authorities to allow Jews complete freedom of movement in their land.