
January 2014
Over the past decade downtown Hebron has become a ghost town. Israel has enacted a strict segregationist policy there, enforced by imposing stringent restrictions on Palestinian pedestrians and vehicles, closing shops and businesses, and not safeguarding Palestinians from settler violence. As a result, many residents have left their homes and entire neighborhoods located near homes of Israeli settlers are entirely deserted. Hebron’s markets and main streets have grown desolate. Those individuals who have not left downtown Hebron are among the weakest and most marginalized members of society. With no option of moving away, they regularly encounter both an increased and more violent presence of Israeli security forces as well as settler violence. Finally, they must face their isolation from the rest of the city of Hebron.
We took a group of American Young Judeans on a tour of downtown Hebron. This was the first time most of them had been to downtown Hebron.
One of B’Tselem staff members joined the tour. Below are some of her photos:
Eyes Wide Open Photo Blog by B’Tselem is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to use the photos in the blog. However, any public use of photos must include copyright credit to the photographer and B’Tselem.
Israel’s regime of occupation is inextricably bound up in human rights violations. B’Tselem strives to end the occupation, as that is the only way forward to a future in which human rights, democracy, liberty and equality are ensured to all people, both Palestinian and Israeli, living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.