Israel throws out the observer mission from the west bank after 20 years

Tiph, an abbreviation of the Temporary international presence in Hebron, which is sometimes called ”the last spillran of the oslo accord”. The 1993 agreement, signed in the White house garden, but negotiated in Oslo, lit the hope of a palestinian and an israeli state in peaceful coexistence.

political högerkantring as well as the fragmentation and weakening within the palestinian ranks contributed to fredsutsikterna darkened.

But in 1994, the palestinian PLO and Israel to achieve common agreements, despite the fact that våldseruptioner regularly occurred on both sides.

In connection with the jewish purimhögtiden in February 1994, took bosättaren Baruch Goldstein in a mosque in Hebron on the west bank. Bosättaren Goldstein, armed with an M16-carbine, shot to death 29 moskébesökare and injured a further 150.

Hebron, one of the world's oldest still existing cities and of the united nations declared a world heritage site, is a holy site for muslims, jews and christians. The mosque Goldstein carried out a massacre known as the Machpelah or Ibrahimmoskén and is the shrine which is shared by jews and muslims, where the bible and the qur'an Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) is buried according to legend.

was agreed by Israel and the PLO that the security of palestinians in Hebron, needed to be strengthened.

Mosque of Hebron is called Machpelah or Ibrahimmoskén and is the shrine which is shared by jews and muslims, where the bible and the qur'an Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) is buried according to legend. Photo: Bernat Armangue

Therefore formed Tiph (after English of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron) with the mandate to monitor the conditions of the oslo accords, and document abuses of human rights. In its current form, the force has been around since 1998.

Tiph-potency has always had a strong scandinavian touch. Until the end of January/February of this year, it consisted of 64 unarmed observers, of which 13 are from Sweden. The rest comes from Norway, Italy, Switzerland and Turkey. These countries also finance the mission, which is now led by the Norwegian police, Einar Aas.

But then a little over a week has observers no longer any right to serve in Hebron. So far, the mandate of the force are routinely renewed every six months. On 31 January a new extension have been decided. But this time it was a blank ' no ' from the prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.

" We are not going to allow the presence of an international organization that works against us, said the prime minister.

mr Netanyahu did not elaborate on how the Tiph would put obstacles in the way of Israel. But the recent times have representatives of the observation mission have been involved in a few high-profile conflicts as the israeli media reported.

this summer, when a swiss observer örfilade a ten-year bosättarpojke in connection with a scuffle at a patrol. The event mobilfilmades and the swiss had to cancel their mission in Hebron.

The second event, which were captured on a surveillance camera, shows how a Tiph-employed while wearing the organization's uniform punkterar the tires of a car belonging to a settler. Sabotaget was conducted in the summer of 2017.

Many palestinians have seen the Tiph as a toothless organization, because of its restrictive mandate. They may not intervene, only to report. But the observers have still been a thorn in the eye of the israeli occupying forces.

In december last year published by the liberal israeli newspaper Haaretz a secret report that Tiph was behind and that is very critical to development in Hebron. The report is a summary of the organization's twenty-year presence in Hebron, and describes a series of crimes against international law that the israeli military is guilty of, as well as harassment against the palestinian population by radical settlers.

" With (U.S. president) Donald Trump in the back know Benjamin Netanyahu that he can do as he wants. No one punishes him for that, he tears up the international agreement which guarantees the presence of the Tiph in Hebron. And the criticism from the UN and the EU-countries have been very careful and gentle, " says the palestinian journalist and political scientist Muhammad Shehada to DN.

a statement from the UN security council that was critical of the Israeli decision not to extend the mandate of the Tiph.

the Website for the Tiph is down. DN has tried to get in touch with any of the swedes in the observation mission in Hebron, but all the press contacts, reference is made to the director, Einar Aas that have not responded to repeated calls and messages.