• by IPS Correspondents (hebron, west bank)
• Sunday, November 13, 1994
• Inter Press Service

HEBRON, West Bank, Nov 13 (IPS) - The ancient burial place of the patriarch Abraham, holy to both Muslims and Jews, and the site where a Jewish settler massacred 29 Palestinians last February, reopened this week amid heavy security after an eight-month closure.

Even eight months later, the legacy of the killer lives on, reminding Palestinians and Israelis alike that coexistence in this volatile Israeli-occupied town does not come easy.

The settler, Baruch Goldstein who was killed in the incident, left a lasting mark. Since then, strict security measures have been implemented requiring Muslims to pass through two metal detectors and another set of armed guards as they make their way up a set of sandstone stairs that lead to the entrance to the holy site.

Jews now enter at a separate door on the other side of the site, called the Cave of the Patriarchs because it is the biblical burial ground of Abraham, Yitzhak and Jacob. Their entrance is separated from the Muslim entrance by a metal gate and several guards and they must check in their weapons with security personnel and also pass through a metal detector before entering.

A newly-erected wall inside the cave separates Jewish from Muslim worshippers.

Inside the Muslim side of the cave, colourful prayer rugs cover the floors of the two prayer halls. A worshipper sits crouched in the corner singing verses from the Koran. The tombs of Yitzhak and his wife sit in the middle, with stone walls built around them.

The tomb of Abraham, the forefather of both Jews and Muslims, serves as part of the partition, so that both groups can visit his grave from their respective sides.

Plastic coloured mats line the walls of both rooms, to allow Israeli soldiers to enter the halls without taking off their shoes. A door that locks from the Jewish side only now separates the two sides. And bullet holes from Goldstein's machine gun mar the walls, all physical reminders of the tense atmosphere permeating the cave.

The strict security measures, especially the division of the cave into Muslim and Jewish quarters, has reaped criticism from both Muslim and Jewish worshippers, who say they want to have access to the tombs of all the forefathers.

"We should be able to visit all the prophets, not just Abraham and Yitzhak," said Mohammed Tamimi, 30 a Palestinian civil engineer from Hebron. "I'm very sad at what's going on here and I don't think it will help us feel more secure."

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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