Hebron — In a conspicuous contrast to Christian Zionists who rabidly support Israeli repression of Palestinians, scores of Christian activists from Europe and North America this week arrived in this southern West Bank town  to show solidarity with the Islamic Charitable Society, Palestine’s largest charity.

 A few weeks ago, crack Israeli soldiers rampaged through orphanages and boarding schools affiliated with the charity,  terrorizing children, vandalizing property and stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of clothes, furniture, food, and kitchen appliances as well as  cars and buses.

The Israeli army campaign also targeted the Muslim Youth Association and affiliated nurseries and kindergartens caring for hundreds of poor children.

In mid February,  the occupation army’s local commander issued a military decree, shutting down and confiscating two orphanages, a boarding school, an administration building, an apartment building and several investment businesses owned by the Islamic charity.

The Israeli army alleged that the charities had connections with the HAMAS organization, a charge that charity officials vehemently deny.

Some Palestinian leaders viewed the Israeli “blitz” on Palestinian civil society as “part of Israel’s dirty war on Islam.”

Last week, a group of Christian Peace-Making  Team (CPT) activists from North America and Europe spent a night with children at the main orphanage to boost  morale and help repulse an expected storming of the building by the Israeli army.

On Monday,  April 7, the Popular Committee for Supporting the Orphanages hosted a press conference at the Hebron Girl Orphanage in downtown Hebron, with dozens of peace activists, clergymen, and journalists as well as some of the victimized orphan girls, attending.

Muhammed Farrah, a lawyer representing the Islamic Charitable Society, dismissed Israeli allegations that the charity had connections with HAMAS as “sheer lies.”

“We have been demanding that the army produce any tangible evidence corroborating  their claim, but so far they have failed to present any proof.

“They make sweeping charges and allegations, but when we challenge them to prove these charges and allegations, they tell us they have secret evidence.”

Farrah said the charity predated the creation of HAMAS by more than 25 years, adding that every penny coming in and every penny going out is meticulously monitored and tracked by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority through certified public accountants.

He revealed that the charity was receiving financial assistance and donations from around the world, including sources based in North America, Europe and the Gulf region.

“I challenge our accusers to prove their charges, and if they can’t, they should have the guts to admit that they made a mistake.”

Muhammed Salhab, head of the Muslim Youth Society,  argued that Israel had no right to invade, let alone close down and confiscate, Palestinian institutions.

“We are based in Area-A, which according to the Oslo Agreement falls under exclusive Palestinian responsibility. This is therefore an act of sheer aggression that is illegal and immoral.”

Salhab said the Israeli army was acting like “gangsters and common criminals.”

“Where in the world do regular army troops storm nurseries and kindergartens and orphanages and terrorize kids as little as four or even three year olds?”

He pointed out that some of the kids were having nightmares and showing signs of stress and neurosis.

During the conference, Rabbi Arik Aschermann, head of the Rabbis for Human Rights association, spoke to the audience by a speaker phone, saying that closure and confiscation of the orphanages and boarding schools and affiliated institutions were  “incompatible with the Jewish concept of justice.”

“If the army had any evidence, let them present it  before a court of law; the army can’t  act as plaintiff, prosecutor, and judge and policeman at the same time.”

Aschermann said true Jews who follow the Torah can’t accept  what the Israeli army was doing in Hebron.

One CPT member, from the United States, said he and his fellow activists would be there, at the orphanage, if the Israeli army decided to storm the premises again.

“We will videotape them and expose them all over the world.”

During the press conference, an American lady from Tennessee donated $2000 dollars to the charity and received an official receipt for her donation.

Following the press conference,  the peace activists moved by bus to one of the targeted  boarding school, located at the Dweirban neighborhood, in Hebron’s western suburbs.

There they mingled and chatted with the orphans and inspected the various wards and sections  of the seemingly modern and well-maintained  institution before dining with the kids.

One activist from Canada said he was pretty sure Canadians would change their perceptions of Israel if they knew how Israel was treating the Palestinian people.

“Our people back home think that Israel is a true democracy, that it upholds human rights and civil liberties. Now, having witnessed Israeli behavior, I can say that Israel is a fascist and terrorist state.”

A number of civic leaders in Hebron have expressed their outrage at  “the disgraceful reactions” of the American-backed  Palestinian Authority (PA) to the Israeli army onslaught against local Islamic charities and institutions.

Ahmed Kawasmeh, who hails from one of Hebron’s largest clans,  said he was “110 % sure” that the Israeli campaign against the charities was “fully coordinated with the PA and the government of Salam Fayyad.”

“PA behavior from the very inception suggests that they are silent accomplices in all of  this. The PA simply wants to take over these charities in order to appease the enemies of Islam, especially the United States.

“Eventually, they want to dump thousands of orphan children unto the streets in order to obtain a certificate of good conduct from America and Israel.”

Earlier this week, a representative of the Palestinian Interior Minister summoned an official from the Muslim Youth Association and reportedly proposed  a “deal” whereby Israel would cancel the closure and confiscation of the MYA building on the Ein Sara Street in exchange for the Islamic Charitable Society administration agreeing to place the entire society under the authority of the PA Waqf Ministry.

The MYA official dismissed the proposed deal, arguing that the charitable institutions targeted by Israel were licensed and regularly overseen by the PA Interior and Education ministries

One charity official intimated to this writer that donors in general don’t trust the PA and wouldn’t donate money to institutions run by Fatah operatives.

“If they (the PA) take over the Islamic Charitable society, the society will collapse in a few months. This is why we would prefer that the Israelis close it down rather than see Fatah run it.”