The facade and minarets of the Cave of the Patriarchs.

The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, also known as the Mosque of Abraham massacre or the Hebron massacre (see Hebron massacre (disambiguation) for other uses of the term), was a mass-murder, which occurred on February 25th, 1994 at the Cave of the Patriarchs, in the southern West Bank city of Hebron. February 25 is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated like the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ... The Cave of the Patriarchs is considered to be the spiritual center of the ancient city of Hebron. ...

Carnage

At 5 AM. on the morning of the Purim holiday, 800 Palestinians passed through the east gate. ^[1] Kahanist Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein, entered the Isaac Hall of the cave and, opening fire, killed 29 Palestinians and injured another 125. After being subdued, Goldstein was beaten to death by survivors. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5]} Purim (Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm Lots, from Akkadian pūru) is a joyous Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of Persian Jews from the plot of the evil Haman to exterminate them, as recorded in the biblical Book of Esther. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... Speaking:US-born Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of the Kach party in the Israeli Knesset. ... Dr. Baruch Goldstein Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein (Hebrew: ברוך גולדשטיין, commonly pronounced as Barukh Goldshteyn) (December 9 or December 12, 1956 – February 25, 1994) was an American-Israeli physician who killed 29 Muslims and wounded 125 in a 1994 shooting attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, West Bank. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ...

Aftermath

• Angry Arab mobs began rioting in the aftermath of the massacre, which led to the deaths of 26 more Palestinians and 9 Israelis.
• Many attacks directed towards Jews in prayer have occurred there, and the Israeli Defence Force has forbidden Palestinians from entering the area at various points in time.
• All over the Middle East, Arabs rioted, attacked Jewish communities, and staged protests.
• Jewish religious authorities are denied the right to maintain the site.
• Jews have no access to the largest room, with the exception of 10 days per year.
• On March 7, Hamas threatened suicide attacks against Jewish settlers unless the settlements of Ariel, Kedumim, Qiryat Arba, Tekoa and Gush Katif were evacuated. Bus bombings were carried out on April 6 in Afula, and on April 13 in Hadera. ^[6]

The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... The term Palestinian has other usages, for which see definitions of Palestinian. ... The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbÄ«;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbÄ«) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools (and among Sefaradim today) the sages... March 7 is the 66th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (67th in leap years). ... The Hamas emblem shows the Dome of the Rock, two crossed swords, Palestinian flags, and a map of the land they claim as Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip). ... Ariel etymologically derives from (אֲרִיאֵל, Standard Hebrew Ariʾel, Tiberian Hebrew ʾĂrîʾēl) a unisex name meaning lion of God. ... Kedumim (Hebrew: קדומים), also spelled Qedumim, is an Israeli settlement located in the northern West Bank/Samaria that was founded during Hanukah 1975 and now enjoys the municipal status of local council. ... Qiryat Arba or Kiryat Arba (קרית־ארבע Town of the Four [Giants] , Standard Hebrew Qiryat Arbaʿ, Tiberian Hebrew Qiryaṯ-ʾarbaʿ; KJV Bible Kirjath-arba) is an Israeli settlement adjoining the city of Hebron. ... Trilingual road sign at entrance to Tekoa Tekoa (Hebrew: ) is an Israeli settlement in the northern Judean hills in the West Bank. ... Gush Katif Gush Katif (also Gush Katiff, Hebrew: גוש קטיף, English: Harvest Belt) was a bloc of 16 Israeli settlements in the southern Gaza Strip. ... April 6 is the 96th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (97th in leap years). ... Afula (עפולה) is a city in the Israel. ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... Hadera (Hebrew: חדרה) is a city in the Haifa District in Israel. ...

Israeli Response

• Goldstein's actions were immediately condemned by the Israeli government and the populace in general.
• Spokespeople for all of the organized denominations of Judaism denounced his act as immoral.
• The Kahane Chai party, to which Goldstein belonged, was outlawed by the Knesset.
• The cabinet agreed to take away the weapons of right-wing extremists and put them in administrative detention.
• The victims of the shooting received financial compensation from the Israeli government.

Dr. Baruch Goldstein Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein (Hebrew: ברוך גולדשטיין, commonly pronounced as Barukh Goldshteyn) (December 9 or December 12, 1956 – February 25, 1994) was an American-Israeli physician who killed 29 Muslims and wounded 125 in a 1994 shooting attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, West Bank. ... Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people with around 15 million followers as of 2006 [1]. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. ... Kach was an extremist right-wing Israeli party led by Meir Kahane. ... Dr. Baruch Goldstein Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein (Hebrew: ברוך גולדשטיין, commonly pronounced as Barukh Goldshteyn) (December 9 or December 12, 1956 – February 25, 1994) was an American-Israeli physician who killed 29 Muslims and wounded 125 in a 1994 shooting attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, West Bank. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... Far right, extreme right, ultra-right, radical right, or hard right are terms used to discuss the relative position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum. ...

Shamgar Commission

The Israeli government appointed an official commission of inquiry headed by then president of the Supreme Court, Judge Meir Shamgar. It found that:

• Goldstein acted alone in planning the massacre, telling no one of his scheme. ^[7]
• Coordination between the IDF, the police, and the Civil Administration was problematic.
• The political leadership and security forces could not have been expected to predict the massacre.
• Testimony from survivors referring to IDF assistance and grenade explosions in the massacre was found to be contradictory and inconsistent; investigators did not find any grenade fragments. ^[8]

Dr. Baruch Goldstein Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein (Hebrew: ברוך גולדשטיין, commonly pronounced as Barukh Goldshteyn) (December 9 or December 12, 1956 – February 25, 1994) was an American-Israeli physician who killed 29 Muslims and wounded 125 in a 1994 shooting attack in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, West Bank. ... The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ... Shabak emblem Defender who shall not be seen The Shabak (in Hebrew, שבכ   Shabak?} an acronym of Sherut ha-Bitachon ha-Klali שירות ביטחון כללי) known abroad as the Shin Bet or the GSS (General Security Service), is the Internal General Security Service of Israel. ... The Israel Defense Forces are part of the Israeli Security Forces. ...

References

1. ↑  Report of Shamgar Commission p. 15; Timetable of Events, Exhibit 14, (ISA 7645/1-1/gimmel)
2. ↑  Evidence of Al-Mutlab Natshe, Cave of Machpelah, 25 February 1994, Exhibit 245, (Israel State Archives 7645/1-7/gimmel); Exhibit 824, op. cit.
3. ↑  Evidence of Al-Mutlab Natshe, Hebron Police Station, 31 October 1994, (Frishtik file)
4. ↑  Minutes of Shamgar Commission p. 2109
5. ↑  Pathologist’s Report, 27 February 1994, Exhibit 1094, (Israel State Archives 7647/3-25/gimmel); see also Exhibit 162, p.2, op. cit.
6. ↑  Middle East Journal, Chronology, vol 48, no 3 (Summer 1994) p511ff.
7. ↑  Commission of Inquiry Into the Massacre at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron - Excerpts from the Report
8. ↑  Report of Shamgar Commission pp. 79, 223
9. ↑  Clipping from Yediot Achronot, Exhibit 680, (Israel State Archives 7646/2-14/gimmel); Yediot Achronot, 25 February 1994, supplement, p.6; see also submission no. 42, op. cit.