The views in this blog are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of EAPPI. The photographs included in this blog were taken by my colleagues and I in the course of our work as EAPPI Team 54 based across the West Bank, and the Christian Peacemaker Teams based in Hebron.

During our EAPPI training week in Jerusalem, an Israeli woman from the organisation Machsom Watch told us that the city of Hebron in the southern West Bank is ‘like hell’. Over the course of the few days I spent in Hebron I definitely saw hellish elements to life in this city. Yet I also saw the vivid, bustling Palestinian neighbourhoods which continue to survive despite the many challenges.

Hebron – the Basics

Most of the West Bank is organised into Areas A, B and C, except for East Jerusalem and Hebron. Hebron (or Al Khalil in Arabic) is the largest city in the West Bank, and is divided into Areas H1 and H2. The H1 area is under the control of the Palestinian authority and is a hubbub of trade and life. It reminded me of the busy streets in cities like Ramallah or Nablus. The ‘H2’ area, including Hebron’s Old City, is controlled by the Israeli military. The eerie quiet in H2 is a stark contrast to the lively bustle of H1.

There are approximately 170,000 people living in H1 and H2, with 140,000 Palestinians living in the Palestinian controlled H1 area. Another 30,000 Palestinians live in the H2 area, along with 500 Israeli settlers from four downtown settlements. Another 7,000 settlers live in the Kiryat Arba settlement on the edge of the city. These 7,500 settlers live in Hebron illegally according to Article 27 of the 4th Geneva Convention, which prohibits an occupying power from transferring its population into an occupied territory. The settlers in Hebron are protected by thousands of Israeli soldiers (4,000 according to the Catholic Peace Fellowship) and police.

Daily Challenges for Palestinians

The 30,000 Palestinians who live cheek to jaw with illegal Israeli settlers in H2 face many challenges in their daily lives. The continuous presence of the Israeli military and the proximity of the settlers affect almost all elements of life, from work and school to prayer.

Prayer

On my first morning in Hebron we monitored the activities of the military on people attending Friday prayers at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City H2 area. In order to access the Mosque for prayers, Palestinian Muslims are required to pass through Israeli security. Soldiers and police check their bags and frequently make them remove their belts or shoes. They also often temporarily remove their green Palestinian ID cards. Having your ID removed may seem like nothing more than a mild inconvenience, but it is indicative of wider occupation policy: Palestinians are not even able to worship freely.

Work

Shehada Street in Hebron’s Old City used to be the bustling centre for Palestinian trade. Since 2000, it has been closed to most Palestinians and an illegal Israeli settlement has been set up at its centre. According to a survey done by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in 2007, 1 829 Palestinian shops located in H2 have closed since the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000.

For decades, Mohamed Salah has been delivering milk, cheese and yoghurt by donkey from his home in Tel Rumeida to Hebron market. Recently, the soldiers at the checkpoint on Shehada Street have told Mohamed that he cannot pass through with his donkey. New signs have been put up saying ‘Passage for pedestrians only’.

Under occupation, rules may change at any time. This can hugely impact the work, income and lives of Palestinians such as Mohamed.

School

Standing on the corner of Shehada Street, I couldn’t help but smile at the small Palestinian boy running down the hill to school. As he turned the corner, he jumped onto the pavement just in time to avoid being run over by an Israeli settler driving at high speed. Avoiding settlers is just one obstacle for children and teachers trying to get to school in H2. To get to Cordoba School, teachers and students must pass through a checkpoint with at least 2 soldiers and a metal detector.

Every day.

Every day they pass through a checkpoint to get to school.

Hebron is a definitely a place where many Palestinians face daily obstacles, from struggles accessing work and school to lack of freedom to worship. Often, Palestinians face these hardships with dignity, as I witnessed whilst monitoring the Ibrahimi Mosque.

So do I think Hebron is ‘hell’? No, Hebron is not hell.

That is too simplified an analysis of such a richly detailed, if suffering, city.

Rebecca has been sent to the West Bank by Quaker Peace & Social Witness (QPSW) as a human rights observer serving on the World Council of Churches’ Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). The views contained in this article are personal and do not necessarily reflect those of QPSW or the World Council of Churches. If you would like to distribute this information further, please first contact the QPSW Programme Manager for Middle East teresap@quaker.org.uk for permission. Thank you.