Ma’an – 27/02/2010

Bethlehem – Israeli settlers in Hebron intend to rally Saturday, commemorating the 1994 massacre that saw a Jewish-American open fire on praying Palestinians, killing 29, the Israeli news site Yedioth Ahronoth reported…

Following the February massacre, Israeli forces decided to partition the mosque, and installed armed guards at both entrances, one for Jews, one for Muslims.

Since 1994, the heightened security at the mosque and the frequent access restrictions imposed on Palestinians entering to pray caused concern among citizens that Israeli forces and the settlers they guard in the city might take-over the building.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the place an “Israeli heritage site.” The following Thursday, Palestinians mourned the death of the 29 worshipers in a solemn ceremony inside the mosque.

The Israeli settlers who plan to rally Saturday, the news source said, are a group that formed around the veneration of Goldstein. “He knew that Jewish blood was about to be shed, and so he protected his own people. Perhaps some were innocent – but war is war,” Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a second settler as saying.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=264529