Al Halil massacre: Three decades on, Israeli bloodlust continues

February 25 marks the 30th anniversary of the Al Halil massacre, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, perpetrated by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.

The mosque is located in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

For Muslims, the significance of the mosque is profound, as they hold it sacred, believing it was constructed above the tomb of Prophet Ibrahim.

Palestinians residing nearby would gather inside the mosque and offer prayers five times a day along with their families, friends and loved ones.

How the massacre unfolded

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians gathered for dawn prayers inside the mosque complex in the early morning of February 25 1994.

As the devotees prostrated in prayers, a Zionist terrorist named Benjamin Goldstein broke into the mosque and opened fire on them.

Goldstein, a 42-year-old settler, killed 29 Palestinians in cold blood and injured an estimated 150.

Goldstein was an American citizen, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He emigrated to the Middle East in 1983 and lived in the Kiryat Arba illegal settlement, a place that originally belonged to Palestinians who were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces.

As a Jewish settler, occupying Palestinian land and property, Goldstein embraced a new name, Baruch Goldstein.

Goldstein was a blind follower of an American orthodox rabbi Meir Kahane, who is known for his rabid, ultra-nationalist ideology and for founding the racist Kach party in 1971.

Kahane advocated the forcible expulsion of Palestinians from Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

After Goldstein’s brutal attack on the mosque, more than 60 percent of the total area of the mosque was converted into a Jewish synagogue surrounded by metal barriers and military barracks. That occupation still affects the daily movement of Palestinians.

Extending occupation post-Al Halil massacre

According to the WAFA news agency, the Israeli soldiers enabled the massacre by closing the mosque gates to hinder distressed worshippers from running for safety. The occupying forces also barred people from outside so that no help could arrive.

Many Palestinians believe that the attack was planned by a group of Jewish settlers with indirect assistance from the Israeli army. However, the Israeli government claimed Goldstein acted alone and was psychologically disabled.

Kamal Abdin, a survivor of the Al Halil massacre, told TRT World it was an unusual morning because the Israeli army allowed the worshippers to pass through the streets leading up to the mosque without any frisking or questioning – something that was otherwise the norm on any given day.

“And we went inside and up to pray. We were surprised when the soldiers separated women from us (men). That was the proof they planned this (massacre),” Abdin said.

As Goldstein opened the fire, Abdin recalled hearing several rounds of gunshots that caused commotion inside the mosque. As Abdin turned left, he saw the armed terrorist, who stared back at him, taking an aim.

Abdin was shot in the neck. He woke up from a coma after six months and could not feel his legs. He asked the doctor why he cannot move. The doctor, he recalled, said: “Kamal I am talking to you man to man. Your spinal cord has been irreversibly damaged. You will spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair”.

Abdin said Goldstein was confronted by one of the worshippers named Nemar Mujahid, who beat the terrorist to death. Another piece of evidence pointing to the Israeli involvement in the massacre is that the Israeli forces shot Nemar dead in what appeared to be revenge for Goldstein’s death.

The killings however did not stop there. Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinians participating in the funerals of the dead, killing 21 more people.

With tension escalating in the occupied territories, soldiers again opened fire at protesters the following day, killing ten more and wounding hundreds of others.

Following the massacre, the occupation forces closed the Ibrahimi Mosque and Hebron’s old city for a full six months to “investigate” the crime.

However, the Shamgar Commission, which led the investigation of the massacre and its causes, gave several recommendations, all against the Palestinians and the victims of the attack and in support of the settlers.

The recommendations involved splitting the Ibrahimi Mosque between Muslims and Jews, increasing security around the mosque, handing over full control of the area to the occupying authorities and converting it into a Jewish site, plus restricting Muslim prayers throughout the year while opening it exclusively for Jewish settlers.

According to WAFA, the occupying authorities installed cameras and electronic gates at every entrance of the mosque. Only one gate with a military checkpoint was designated for Muslim worshippers, while other gates were opened for Jewish people.

The occupying forces also shut down the popular markets and streets. These measures effectively isolated the old town from its surroundings, which persists today and has become even more severe.

The impact on the lives of the thousands of Palestinians residing in that area is still visible to anyone visiting.