Life was back to normal today at Hebron, an Arab city on the west bank of the Jordan River, after a disturbance there over the weekend which had brought about a shut-down of all Arab shops in the town and the banning by the Israeli authorities of all visitors. The mayor of Hebron today summoned a group of Arab elders and requested them to calm the inhabitants.
The trouble started when an Israeli visitor, a woman, had her purse snatched by an Arab boy while she was visiting the historic Cave of Machpela. Her screams brought a unit of Israeli soldiers who started chasing the thief. A number of hoodlums tried to impede the chase, throwing stones at the soldiers and barring their way, and one soldier fired his rifle into the air to disperse the hostile crowd.
A commotion followed, first in the Hebron market place, then through the rest of the town, Arab shopkeepers closing down their businesses. The Israeli authorities then banned all visitors until calm is restored.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
