Hebron

This is a hard one for me to write about. I'm not really sure how to present a balanced perspective on the town of Hebron so I'll just note my impressions from spending the day there. I recognize that I haven't heard a full story from all the sides involved.

Here we go.

There is an organization called Breaking the Silence here in Israel. It is a group of former IDF soldiers who are sharing about their experiences serving in the IDF in the West Bank, also known as, occupied Palestine. These soldiers lead tours and share their experiences as their way of commenting on what occupation really looks like.

I took a tour last week with Breaking the Silence to the town of Hebron in the West Bank. Hebron is a very important site for both Jews and Muslims as the Cave of the Patriarchs, where Abraham was buried, is located there. It is a primarily a Palestinian/Muslim town with pockets of Israeli/Jewish settlements around and in it.

At one point Jews were massacred and expelled from Hebron and now the settler movement is slowly trying to exert a permanent presence there again.

Because the settlers are Israeli, the Israeli military is tasked with protecting them. In order to protect them they have to create "sterile" areas where it will be safe for free movement by the settlers. This means that certain streets and areas of Hebron are closed to Palestinians. This system was exacerbated by violence during the second Intifada (2000-2005). An area that used to be a thriving market place is now basically deserted due to sterilization.

For instance, this intersection used to be a busy and bustling market area. All the shops have been closed and these streets are not open for Palestinians.

Since Hebron is important for both Jews and Muslims, ideally they should all have access to it. But Jews have been massacred and expelled in the past and now Palestinians aren't allowed free movement through portions of the town. I know that it is more complicated than this, but it seems to me that it is a cycle of victims perpetuating victimhood.

So, the positives? Well, a bitter-sweet positive was that there were great doors for picture-taking.

The highlight from the day was when a group of boys asked us to play soccer with them. We played for about half an hour. It was a refreshing break from processing the complicated nature of the town of Hebron.

*Credit for the above photo goes to @dannyras