Xenophobic Attacks

Two ugly xenophobic incidents over the last week, in both my physical and spiritual homelands.

Israel: 8 Jews arrested for assault on Arabs

Eight youths from Jerusalem were arrested Tuesday on suspicion they assaulted and stabbed two Israeli Arabs, residents of the Shuafat refugee camp, Army Radio reported. The assault occurred on the eve of Memorial Day for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism near the entrance to the Pisgat Ze'ev shopping mall. One of the victims sustained moderate wounds and his friend did not require any medical care. Advertisement According to Army Radio, the eight suspects said during police questioning that the assault was part of efforts to rid the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood of Arabs. The suspects said the neighborhood had been overrun by Arabs who were harassing Jewish girls and causing a ruckus.

South Africa: Xenophobia – 22 face charges

Johannesburg - A man was shot dead and another injured when violence flared up in Alexandra on Monday evening, bringing the death toll in suspected xenophobic attacks to three, police said on Tuesday. Constable Neria Malefetse said a total of 39 people were arrested in the Johannesburg township on Monday evening. "A man was shot and killed and one was injured," she said, adding that both victims were South African. Another two people were killed on Sunday night - one of them also South African - and dozens were injured when an angry mob took to the streets and targeted foreigners who residents say are not welcome here. Malefetse said although the violence was aimed at foreigners, two of the three people killed since Sunday were South Africans.

The incident involving the South African violence is far more severe and symptomatic of persistent xenophobia directed at foreigners within South Africa. But which incident is more likely to be used as an example to tarnish and delegitimize the sovereignty of a nation state?

These foreigners, mostly Zimbabweans, were assualted in Alexandra in xenophobic violence. These photos from news24, show some of the injured that were taken to the local clinic and others who fled their homes looking for shelter at the Bramley police station.

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Comments

[Bigben]

I must admit steve, I feel very Jewish when I read these articles in the press. Someone I know who works in Alex says the locals go from house to house to kill but also to steal. I cant help feeling that it is almost some kind of a pogrom. In many ways a large part of Xenaphoniba is inherent in anti-semitisim. Jewish history is filled with expulsions, closed off areas and identity markings that are all to used to show the forgiener that he is not wanted. Hopefully one day these zimbabwians will get to go home or at least live in peace in SA. Luckliy we now have Israel, a home, but I think that the Jewish community should be involved in helping these people, we were them not so long ago.

[mike]

Great point. Do you know if the board has done anything? I will try find out.