Cave of the Patriarchs massacre

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The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre occurred on February 25, 1994 at the Cave of the Patriarchs, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. It is also known as the Mosque of Abraham massacre or the Hebron massacre (see Hebron massacre (disambiguation) for other uses of the term).

The massacre occurred during the overlapping Jewish and Muslim religious holidays of Purim and Ramadan. The killings were perpetrated by Baruch Goldstein, a member of the extremist Kahanist movement. A total of 29 Palestinian Muslims were killed and another 125 injured, with Goldstein himself also being killed. In the aftermath, violent protests broke out across the Middle East and several dozen more Palestinians and Israelis were killed in clashes and attacks.

Contents 1 The massacre 2 See also 3 References 4 External references

[edit] The massacre

The Cave of the Patriarchs is divided into two sections, one for Jewish worshippers and the other for Muslim worshippers. The section for the Jewish worshippers includes the Abraham Hall, which is also used for Brit Mila ceremonies, and the Jacob Hall. A Yeshivah has also been set up. Numerous Jewish religious services take place every day in this section of the Cave. The section for Muslim worshippers includes the much larger Isaac Hall. On ten days in the year the entire cave is reserved for the exclusive use of Jewish worshippers and on ten other days in the year for the exclusive use of Muslim worshippers.

At 05:00 on February 25, eight hundred Palestinian Muslims passed through the east gate of the cave to participate in Fajr, the first of the five daily Islamic prayers. ^[1] The cave was under Israeli Army guard, but of the nine soldiers supposed to have been on duty, four were late turning up and only one officer was there. ^[2]

Shortly afterwards Baruch Goldstein, a Jewish resident of the Kiryat Arba settlement and member of the extremist Kahanist movement, entered the Isaac Hall of the cave. He was dressed in his army uniform and carrying an IMI Galil assault rifle and four magazines of ammunition, which held 35 bullets each. He was not stopped by the guards, who assumed that he was an officer entering the tomb to pray in an adjacent chamber reserved for Jews. ^[3]

Standing in front of the only exit from the cave and positioned to the rear of the Muslim worshippers, he opened fire with the weapon, killing 29 people and injuring another 125. He was eventually overwhelmed by survivors, who beat him to death. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}

Reports after the massacre were inevitably highly confused. In particular, there was uncertainty about whether Goldstein had acted alone; it was reported that eyewitnesses had seen "another man, also dressed as a soldier, handing him ammunition." ^[8] There were also reports that he had thrown grenades into the worshippers. ^[9] The Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat claimed that the attack was the work of up to 12 men, including Israeli troops. However, a preliminary Israeli Army investigation found that there had been no use of grenades and that Goldstein had acted alone without the assistance or connivance of the Israeli guards posted at the cave. ^[10]

[edit] See also

• Baruch Goldstein
• Brooklyn Bridge Shooting on March 1, 1994

[edit] References

1. ↑  Report of Shamgar Commission p. 15; Timetable of Events, Exhibit 14, (ISA 7645/1-1/gimmel)
2. ↑  Evidence of Al-Mutlab Natshe, Cave of Machpelah, 25 February 1994, Exhibit 245, (Israel State Archives 7645/1-7/gimmel); Exhibit 824, op. cit.
3. ↑  Evidence of Al-Mutlab Natshe, Hebron Police Station, 31 October 1994, (Frishtik file)
4. ↑  Minutes of Shamgar Commission p. 2109
5. ↑  Pathologist's Report, 27 February 1994, Exhibit 1094, (Israel State Archives 7647/3-25/gimmel); see also Exhibit 162, p.2, op. cit.
6. ↑  Middle East Journal, Chronology, vol 48, no 3 (Summer 1994) p511ff.
7. ↑  Commission of Inquiry Into the Massacre at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron - Excerpts from the Report
8. ↑  Report of Shamgar Commission pp. 79, 223
9. ↑  Clipping from Yediot Achronot, Exhibit 680, (Israel State Archives 7646/2-14/gimmel); Yediot Achronot, 25 February 1994, supplement, p.6; see also submission no. 42, op. cit.
10. ↑  "Hebron Massacre: Hell comes to a holy place", The Independent (London), 27 February 1994
11. ↑  "Massacre at the mosque", The Guardian (London), 26 February 1994
12. ↑  "Security failed, says army", The Guardian (London), 28 February 1994

[edit] External references

• The Massacre: A Dictionary on Ynet
• The Background and Consequences of the Massacre in Hebron, by Israel Shahak in Middle East Policy, 1994