Professor John Macdonald
April 24th, 2024
Hebron, a city in the south of Palestine, with a population of about 250,000 people needs to be seen to be believed even after visiting several times before October (literally, I had heard of the situation of Hebron, but until I saw for myself, I would not have believed it). It shares many of the characteristics of a prison: people’s movements are severely restricted, entrances in and out of the city are controlled by checkpoints. Since 1948, the city has been divided up for the convenience of Israeli settlers
The picture below represents for me the most shocking of my memories of Hebron: settlers live above the market and throw rubbish on the streets and on the people below. Liquid rubbish, of course, passes through the grill.
Despite hundreds of years of history of Palestinians (and other peoples) living in Hebron, Israeli settlers believe it is part of the land given to them by God and so have the right to settle there, protected by the Israeli army. (For a Jewish perspective on Hebron and its importance for the people of Israel, see:
Hebron Jews: Memory and Conflict in the Land of Israel
By Jerold S. Auerbach, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009).
The above is a picture of the infamous Shuhada street in Hebron where most shops have been permanently closed.
The troubles in Gaza have tended to take our attention away from the West Bank but (personal opinion),the more the inhabitants of Hebron are treated as prisoners, like the people of Gaza have been, the more likely it is that there will come a turning point, or a tipping point, where the reaction could be explosive.