The incident occurred on Tuesday, after Supreme Court Justice Ayala Procaccia turned down the Jews' appeal for an injunction against the construction of the wall. The three are accused of throwing stones on policemen - though the Prosecution agrees it cannot be certain of the identities of the stone-throwers. The Hevron Jewish Community has a different version of the events, starting from 1929.
Eyewitnesses have said that the Sharabati family, living in a home overlooking the old - and present-day - "Avraham Avinu" Jewish neighborhood, took part in the 1929 massacre of almost 70 Jews. More recently, one of the Sharabati sons once jumped into the Jewish neighborhood, knife in hand, but was apprehended before he had time to stab anyone. In addition, a number of bombs were hurled into the nearby Jewish playground from the direction of this house.
Almost six years ago, the IDF removed members of the Sharabati family from their home, after the above incidents and after finding materials in the home tying the family to Arab terror organizations.
The Sharabatis turned to Supreme Court for redress, and the Court issued a ruling forcing the army to allow them to rebuild their home and live in it. The ruling contrasted with the position expressed by officers in the field, who considered the family a security threat.
Just over a year ago, the army built a wall - a two-story-high concrete slab - between and adjacent to the Sharabati home and the Avraham Avinu neighborhood's playground and Jewish homes. Over the months, however, the wall has begun to gradually collapse, under mysterious circumstances.
The IDF thereupon decided to rebuild it and this week, the Hevron Jewish Community appealed. At the hearing, Justice Procaccia did not receive a response from the government, and she went home with no decision. "A few hours later," Hevron spokesman David Wilder writes, "IDF attorneys appeared at the judge's home, begging her to reject Hebron's appeal. She did so, and signed an order approving the rebuilding of the wall. So much for the High Court of 'justice.'"
Early this past Tuesday morning, dozens of police, riot squad, soldiers and officers appeared in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood for the rebuilding mission - which they knew would not go over easily. A group of over 20 girls had locked themselves into the community kindergarten, one of the areas declared a 'closed military zone' for the occasion.
The ensuing attempt to break into the building and remove the girls took two hours - during the course of which, Hevron residents report, there was some violence on both sides. No one was hurt, but 19 of the girls, between the ages of 12 and 15, were arrested - and three of them remain in prison even now.
By Wednesday, the wall had been rebuilt, slightly taller and reinforced with concrete where it had not been before.
"We have no intentions of living behind walls," the Hevron spokesman said afterwards, "especially when they are built to protect Arab terrorists. The IDF knew very well how to expel some 10,000 people from their homes when it wanted to. There is no reason why a known terrorist family should be awarded a home overlooking a Jewish neighborhood in Hebron. Their presence is a constant
danger to the neighborhood's children and other residents. We will continue to protest the existence of the wall until it is removed from our midst, one way or another."
The three girls in prison can be released prison until Sunday - if they or their parents sign a paper promising to return to court on that day for their next court hearing. However, the girls say they do not recognize a Jewish legal system that is not run according to Torah law, and refuse to sign or be signed for.
Arutz-7 asked the mother of one of the girls, "A signature does not necessarily mean recognition of the State's authority, but rather of its strength and power. Why not sign and have the girls home for the Sabbath?"
The mother of ten, Ettie Medad, who herself spent 25 days in prison last year under similar circumstances, said, "It's not a question of, as some say, using our power against their power, hoping that in the end we will win. It's more that I simply cannot bring myself to cooperate with those who accuse us of crimes, when in fact they are the criminals! To put an Arab house right in the middle of a Jewish neighborhood is dangerous, unethical and goes against both Torah and Zionism... It's not that I want to use my power against them; the opposite - I simply have no strength to sign and cooperate with this evil."
She made it clear that if her daughter gave any indication that she did not want to go on with her ideological struggle, "We would sign and have her released in a minute."
Asked if she expected others to follow her example, Ettie said, "I'm not doing this vis-a-vis anyone else; I'm not looking at others to see what they think or how they react. I'm doing this only vis-a-vis G-d. In the end, He will win, and I want to be on His side."
Ettie is the wife of Honenu legal rights organization director Shmuel Medad.
Eyewitnesses have said that the Sharabati family, living in a home overlooking the old - and present-day - "Avraham Avinu" Jewish neighborhood, took part in the 1929 massacre of almost 70 Jews. More recently, one of the Sharabati sons once jumped into the Jewish neighborhood, knife in hand, but was apprehended before he had time to stab anyone. In addition, a number of bombs were hurled into the nearby Jewish playground from the direction of this house.
Almost six years ago, the IDF removed members of the Sharabati family from their home, after the above incidents and after finding materials in the home tying the family to Arab terror organizations.
The Sharabatis turned to Supreme Court for redress, and the Court issued a ruling forcing the army to allow them to rebuild their home and live in it. The ruling contrasted with the position expressed by officers in the field, who considered the family a security threat.
Just over a year ago, the army built a wall - a two-story-high concrete slab - between and adjacent to the Sharabati home and the Avraham Avinu neighborhood's playground and Jewish homes. Over the months, however, the wall has begun to gradually collapse, under mysterious circumstances.
The IDF thereupon decided to rebuild it and this week, the Hevron Jewish Community appealed. At the hearing, Justice Procaccia did not receive a response from the government, and she went home with no decision. "A few hours later," Hevron spokesman David Wilder writes, "IDF attorneys appeared at the judge's home, begging her to reject Hebron's appeal. She did so, and signed an order approving the rebuilding of the wall. So much for the High Court of 'justice.'"
Early this past Tuesday morning, dozens of police, riot squad, soldiers and officers appeared in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood for the rebuilding mission - which they knew would not go over easily. A group of over 20 girls had locked themselves into the community kindergarten, one of the areas declared a 'closed military zone' for the occasion.
The ensuing attempt to break into the building and remove the girls took two hours - during the course of which, Hevron residents report, there was some violence on both sides. No one was hurt, but 19 of the girls, between the ages of 12 and 15, were arrested - and three of them remain in prison even now.
By Wednesday, the wall had been rebuilt, slightly taller and reinforced with concrete where it had not been before.
"We have no intentions of living behind walls," the Hevron spokesman said afterwards, "especially when they are built to protect Arab terrorists. The IDF knew very well how to expel some 10,000 people from their homes when it wanted to. There is no reason why a known terrorist family should be awarded a home overlooking a Jewish neighborhood in Hebron. Their presence is a constant
danger to the neighborhood's children and other residents. We will continue to protest the existence of the wall until it is removed from our midst, one way or another."
The three girls in prison can be released prison until Sunday - if they or their parents sign a paper promising to return to court on that day for their next court hearing. However, the girls say they do not recognize a Jewish legal system that is not run according to Torah law, and refuse to sign or be signed for.
Arutz-7 asked the mother of one of the girls, "A signature does not necessarily mean recognition of the State's authority, but rather of its strength and power. Why not sign and have the girls home for the Sabbath?"
The mother of ten, Ettie Medad, who herself spent 25 days in prison last year under similar circumstances, said, "It's not a question of, as some say, using our power against their power, hoping that in the end we will win. It's more that I simply cannot bring myself to cooperate with those who accuse us of crimes, when in fact they are the criminals! To put an Arab house right in the middle of a Jewish neighborhood is dangerous, unethical and goes against both Torah and Zionism... It's not that I want to use my power against them; the opposite - I simply have no strength to sign and cooperate with this evil."
She made it clear that if her daughter gave any indication that she did not want to go on with her ideological struggle, "We would sign and have her released in a minute."
Asked if she expected others to follow her example, Ettie said, "I'm not doing this vis-a-vis anyone else; I'm not looking at others to see what they think or how they react. I'm doing this only vis-a-vis G-d. In the end, He will win, and I want to be on His side."
Ettie is the wife of Honenu legal rights organization director Shmuel Medad.