Dozens of Palestinian Authority Arab residents of Hevron and extreme leftist Israelis marched down the main road of Hevron's Jewish neighborhood Friday afternoon just hours before the start of the Sabbath and final day of the Passover holiday. The demonstration was timed to create maximum antagonism with the city's Jewish small but tight-knit Jewish community.
The group blocked the road, preventing local Jews from entering or leaving their homes, making the last-minute preparations for the final day of the complex holiday celebration extremely difficult. Several of the marchers also attacked one local Jew, who required medical attention for the injuries he sustained as a result.
IDF soldiers informed the group, who waved Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and signs praising the terrorist organization, that the event was illegal. Nevertheless the group refused to leave.
Leftists later expressed anger at local police after they arrested a demonstrator but did not arrest local Jews who threw eggshells at the demonstrators' bus.
Local Jews also expressed outrage, saying the police routinely allow extreme leftists and anarchists to disrupt Jewish life with demonstrations in Hevron.
Counterterrorism Operations Continue in Hevron Region
IDF soldiers arrested two armed PA Arab men in the Hevron region during routine counterterrorism operations and standard security measures on Saturday.
In the first incident, soldiers detained a man armed with a gun in a village northwest of Hevron. Later in the day, a PA Arab was arrested at a checkpoint in the city after he was found to be carrying a knife during a routine search.
Both men were transferred to security personnel for questioning.