Yitzhak, Oriyah and Shalhevet Pass
(Hebron Jewish community)

	Living under constant gunfire in Hebron
	Settlers could take the law into their own hands
	Facing the faceless enemy Reuven Koret
	A baby is buried: blue blanket, blue flag graveside Harvey Tannenbaum
	Hebron, target of terror Bob Westbrook
	Hebron Jewish Community
	Israel Defense Forces

Palestinian sniper fire killed ten-month-old Shalhevet Pass yesterday evening in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood of Hebron. The gunfire also wounded her father Yitzhak, 24, as they stood in the entrance of the neighborhood.

Shalhevet was killed instantly by a bullet wound to her head, fired by a sniper positioned on a rooftop in the Abu Sneneh neighborhood which overlooks the Avraham Avinu area, and which is under Palestinian control. Oriyah Pass, Shalhevet's mother, who was with the family at the time, was unharmed. Shalhevet Pass is considered the youngest victim of the Intifada on either side of the conflict so far.

Israel Defense Forces responded to the attack by firing

"We demand that all this territory be recaptured and the terrorists be wiped out." Noam Arnon - Hebron community spokesman.

machine guns and tank shells in the direction of a building in Abu Sneneh identified as the source of the sniper attack.

Some 16 Palestinians were reportedly wounded in the shelling. A curfew and tightened closure were imposed on Hebron last night and residents of Abu Sneneh were asked to evacuate their homes.

An Israeli military spokesman said the evacuation order for Abu Sneneh was "not unusual." Such demands had been made in Hebron in the past, and were dismissed by Hebron residents as "noise." "We want to feel free to shoot back without harming civilians," the IDF spokesman explained.

The Pass family, following discussions with Rabbis and other officials, announced this morning their intention to delay the funeral of their daughter until the Israeli army recaptures the Abu Sneneh hills. A spokesman for the family said that they hoped their decision would help prevent additional funerals.

The Prime Minister's office issued a statement yesterday blaming "the Palestinian Authority… for the acts of violence and terror that led… to the murder of an infant and the wounding of her father in Hebron."

PA Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo told Reuters there is "no evidence" the infant was killed by Palestinians. "We believe that the atrocities of the occupation are responsible for all the crimes that have claimed the lives of Palestinians and Israelis," Rabbo said.

Ha'aretz reported that a Fatah activist said those who shot the Israeli baby "acted on their own. ... Despite the enmity with the settlers, it's impossible to forget that the victim was a baby that didn't even know she was a settler," the activist said.

Settlers call for response
After the attack, Noam Arnon, a spokesman for the Jewish settlers in Hebron, called for an immediate retaliation against the Palestinian militants. "We demand that all this territory be recaptured and the terrorists be wiped out. There is no other solution. The head of the snake must be crushed," Arnon said.

The leadership of the Hebron Jewish community held an emergency meeting last night, demanding that the hills surrounding Hebron be retaken by the Israel Defense Forces. The leaders announced plans for demonstrations to be held outside the Arab market, next to the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Representatives met with Prime Minister Sharon and called on him to fulfill his campaign promise to restore security to the residents of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.

Col. Noam Tivon, commander of the Hebron brigade, told Channel One news that, "This city has seen many violent incidents. I hope there's no flare-up." Tivon said he "understood" the settlers' anger.

Israel Radio reported late last night that no serious military action is expected immediately following the Hebron shooting. Yoni Ben Menachem, the station's diplomatic correspondent, explained that Prime Minister Sharon does not want to be sucked into a response that would benefit Yasser Arafat at the Arab summit this week in Amman.

Defense Minister Ben Eliezer told reporters that the IDF would "find the time and place" to respond.

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