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Baruch Marzel is the candidate of the
Herut party, running for election to the Knesset in the
January 28, 2003 election. Although Mr. Marzel has said he
no longer abides by his Kahanist beliefs, PHRMG believes it
is important to note the previous behavior of Mr. Marzel,
and his criminal history of violence and human rights
violations.
Mr. Marzel resides in the illegal
outpost set up in Tel Rumeida. It is part of the 400
settlers living illegally inside Hebron with 40,000
Palestinians. There are 1,200 soldiers stationed in Hebron
to protect these settlers; a ratio of 3 soldiers to one
settler. Hebron is cited as the most violent area of
conflict between settlers and Palestinians. The settlers
here have a well-established and diligently earned
reputation of radical fanaticism and violent incitement of
conflict with local Palestinians as well as the very
soldiers who protect the settlement.
In March 1994, an IDF reserve soldier
gave testimony that Baruch Marzel assaulted a Palestinian
toddler in Hebron. Also in Hebron, in 1995, several
witnesses gave testimony to Marzel shooting a 16 year old
Palestinian boy in the leg. Again, in 1998, Marzel was
arrested for threatening to kill four Palestinian police
officers.
PHRMG’s contact with Marzel involves
complaints against him to our Settler Watch Hotline. PHRMG
assisted Abu-Zuhair of Hebron, age 65, and Mohammed Abu-Eisheh
of Hebron, age 71 with filing complaints. These men
contacted us after being attacked by Baruch Marzel and his
wife and children. Abu-Zuhair and Abu-Eisheh are neighbors
of Marzel, so their testimony is valid as they are very
familiar with their assaulters. Four separate attacks in
2001 by the Marzels were reported to us:
- On July 26 at 3 am, approximately 30
Israeli settlers, including Marzel, attacked the home of
Abu-Eisheh, beating his 39 year old son and 7 year old
grandson.
- On August 18, the Marzel family
threw stones at and inside the home of Abu-Zuhair.
- On September 12, a group of settler
youths including Marzel’s son, Mangi, attacked the Abu-Eisheh
home with steel bars, thus damaging the door and breaking
the windows.
- On September 23, the Marzel family
again attacked the Abu-Zuhair home, breaking windows and
destroying grape vines.
Also of note is Baruch Marzel’s
presence at the settler assault on British peace activist
Angie Zelter on August 29, 2001 in Hebron. Marzel was at
the scene of this crime, closely photographing the event.
It should be reminded that Marzel is
known as a main figure in the Kach movement, which was
banned by Israel in 1994 as a terrorist organization.
Although Marzel claims he no longer holds to his former
Kahanist ways, the events of little over a year ago still
show his violent criminal demeanor. Because of Marzel’s
terror activities with this group, his US visa was revoked
by the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs.
PHRMG believes that each individual
should have the opportunity to run for public office.
However, it is crucial that one examines the character and
behavior of a chosen candidate. It is the hopes of PHRMG
that this upcoming election will bring greater and more
firmly established human rights to all people. |
