HEBRON. Apr 3: Widad Ai Jaabari and Shelli Karzen are two mothers, an Arab and a Jew. living in fear in the heart of Hebron, reports Reuter

Jaabari loat her husband in the Hebron Mosque massacre on February 25. one of 30 Muslim worshippers gunned down by Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein

Karzen to one of 400 Jews settled amor< 110.000 Arabs In the occupied West Bank town Arab gunmen have killed Jew* there Arab youngsters stone her children

The two women have not met. but both say that bring to

fear is unbearable

I live wtth my children In terror far being surrounded by set tiers said Jaabari a mother of eight sail mourning her hue band

I gather my children around me at night and we all steep in the corridor. not In our bed rooms We are afraid they might barge in and kill ua. she sakT

ine Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba. where Goldstein lived, to only TOO metres lyardal from her house A fence sepa rates the settlement from her garden She sold a Kfryaf Arbs road was butt on land belong ing to her hueband s family

Since the massacre Jaabari has kept her window shutters overlooking the settlement firmly shut

Last week as Jaabari walked in her garden, a Jewish woman bolding a baby looked at her from an apartment window and motfpned with a finger across her neck as If to signal the Arab woman would be better off dead.

I have nor been able io sleep ever since from fear. Jaabari said with tears welling up

The PLO suspended peace talks over the massacre rle mandlng International protec Uon. a disarming of sei tiers and

the dismantling of some settlements.

Karzen immigrated to Israel from the United States 10 years ago and moved a short time later with her family to the Jewish enclave of Tel Ruinetda. home to only seven families. In the heart of Heliron

I’m not happy. Palestinians are suffering but I wish the Arab population can aay the same thing she said while her husband Uri walked into the room with a rifle strapped over hla slKHilder

"We are the ones being threatened and have protection' and hide behind plastic win

dows my kids get pelted with stones on their way to school and they think Arab kids are the bad guys." sakl Karen, the pregnapt mother of three

Israel captured Hebron, a town holy to both Muslim* and Jews, along with the rest of the West Bank In the 1967 Middle East war

Karzen said Jews had since settled in parts of the town where they lived before being killed and forced out In Arab riot* in 1929 and 1936

"We came here becauae ft is our home, our roots are here, and we believe we came here as representative* of the Jewish

people " *he said

Karren said she believed Palestinians ultimately wanted Israeli* out of Hebron — and all

hope lor an easy solution to the set dements issue — or for peaceful "*^"131 never live In peace as long as they are among us They have forced themaeives on us ami built their homes on our land, Jaabari said

If aettlers dM not leave Hebron. "Palestinian families who loot members of their fan* Iles In the most brutal mas •acre will seek tevenge she said