Israel Matzav

OMG: 'Palestinian' who triggered Anatot violence a serial rapist

Those of you who are familiar with the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah will undoubtedly recognize the name Anatot, which was Jeremiah's hometown. Today, there is a Jewish village on the site of Anatot, which much of the world would call a 'settlement.' The villagers are not your typical revenants - for starters, they are secular and not religious. Ten days ago, the second day of Rosh HaShana, there was a riot in Anatot, as 'Palestinians' who claim some of the town's lands came to 'visit.'

So on Rosh Hashana, a group of Palestinians claiming that a secular yishuv is actually their land, something they can challenge in the Israeli courts and for which there is an entire network of lawyers and NGOs who provide support, alongside a group of pro-Palestinian Israelis went and shoved their beliefs about this land in the faces of families that have been living there for a couple of decades. They did this on a day when everybody was home, with their families, as part of an important Jewish holiday. They blocked the gate without provocation “because they weren’t allowed to pay a visit.”

The violence is uncalled for, but it seems like some people intentionally wanted to provoke the anger of the people who live there and is now making hay out of the fact they succeeded in provoking. Maybe next time there could be a better way that doesn’t include blocking the gate? Maybe next time you can show that your intentions are peaceful and you’re not trying to get people evicted from homes where they’ve established lives and a community legally and with the blessing of the Israeli government? Oh wait, you are trying to get them evicted. Never mind. I’m sure you’re not really upsetting them. They must think it’s a game and like you guys, they can just move back to Tel Aviv when the game is over.

Now it turns out that the person claiming the land, one Yassin Rifai, is a convicted rapist.

He is married to a Jewess, a former resident of Gaza. He and his brothers claim land within the boundaries of Anatot. He has been sentenced in one case of a rape of two tourists to 14 years in jail.

It seems the anger of Anatot residents is colored by several complaints to the police they have made against him for following around children, photographing them and even hurling rocks at them, which he denies.

For the record, Rifai is also an Israeli citizen.

Labels: Palestinian land grab

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:36 PM