In an emotional ceremony held Sunday night at the “Roots” center in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem, the title of "Righteous Among the Nations" was awarded and a financial grant given to an Arab resident of the Hebron area who saved the lives of a Jewish man and his wife.
On the evening before Passover, the Baron couple returned late at night to their home in Carmei Tzur, an Israeli town located between Hebron and Efrat in Gush Etzion. As they drove along Route 60, they were suddenly forced to skid to a halt due to a barricade formed of rocks that had been formed by Arabs who were lying in wait. As they sat there, helpless and terrified, they came under attack by dozens of Arab rioters who pelted them with stones. M, a Palestinian Arab, was in his home not far from the roadside and heard the sounds of the riot.
Without hesitating, M left his home to save the lives of the couple. He rushed towards them, begging them to seek refuge in his home. The couple were at first reluctant, not knowing whether or not to trust him, but when they realized that M was sincere and wanted to help, they followed him to his house while he shielded them from the stones with his body, sustaining injuries from the rocks.
The couple stayed at M’s home until IDF soldiers arrived to extricate them.
For M, however, the story had only just begun. Local Arabs were infuriated at his deed and his house was pelted with rocks and the gate burned down, causing thousands of shekels of damage.
The B’Tsalmo human rights organization heard about the incident and began a crowdfunding campaign to cover the damages. Furthermore, B’Tsalmo announced that it would award M the "Righteous Among the Nations" award.
This past Sunday evening B’Tsalmo CEO Shai Glick and director of the Roots organization Khaled Abu Awad presented the certificate to M, in the presence of of M's family, members of the Baron family, IDF officers, and residents of Carmei Tzur and other communities in Gush Etzion.
M was touched and said that he did not understand the reason for the excitement, since what he did was the most natural thing anyone should do to save another human's life. He expressed his gratitude for the financial grant that would cover the damage caused to his property by the rioters.
The ceremony included a joint holiday feast to mark the end of Ramadan for those Jews and Arabs living in Gush Etzion who desire peace, neighbourliness, and coexistence.
Shai Glick, CEO of B’Tsalmo, added: "He who protects the citizens of Israel has become a part of us and we will take care of him forever.
*We are proud to present him with this award and hope that many others will follow in his footsteps."