There is really too much to write, and a few comments to respond to, but I don’t have much time to get this post online. But I did want to share with you some pictures from our day-trip to Hebron. Let this be more of a photo journal of our experience.
I don’t know how many of you heard about it, but two nights ago, there was a shooting close to Hebron, of an Israeli settler – a Palestinian militant within the Fateh group claimed responsibility for it, but after the shooting, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) went into Hebron and arrested around 14 (I think) members of Islamic Jihad, and basically closed the city of Hebron. This is part of what many people call “collective punishment.†We were told that there could be a shooting and/or killing somewhere nowhere near Hebron, but they would close the roads in Hebron just to punish the local people, to humiliate them by having them get out of the cars, etc. As you can see in the above picture there is a roadblock and this had backed up traffic for miles.
We eventually found a back road through a small little village and up into Hebron and we arrived around 12.30pm or so. Hebron has a very traumatic history and is currently “basically†under Israeli control, maintained by the IDF, which (as you will see later) is primarily made up of 18-20yr old men, carrying M-16s. There are also Jewish settlers who have moved into the Old City of Hebron, basically turning the Old City into a ghost town.
As you can see, we eventually reach a roadblock which can only be used by settlers – it is very clear that no one is to go through this area.
Welcome to Hebron – this used to be one of the strongest centers for tourism in Hebron (the Old City) – but it is clearly not now. Where the streets used to be lined with side markets and vendors – and you could barely even walk through all the shops – it is now a barren wasteland.
You probably cannot see in this picture, but on the roof on the upper left, there is a IDF member with his M-16 ready to fire, as well as a few guards from the checkpoint we had to cross there. There is no one around – there is no reason to be hiding up on the roof with a gun; there is no need for a sniper. There are a group of settlers who are now living in this area…
Ibrahim Mosque. The traditional (and as our tour guide told us, archaeological as well as biblical) Tomb of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their wives). It was a beautiful, beautiful mosque.
And from a beautiful, beautiful mosque, we come out through security to this. Members of the IDF, all just barely 20, or not even twenty, but pointing their M-16s at you just the same. I don’t know if they thought they were “protecting us†or “escorting us†or what – but there is nothing quite like having a loaded M-16 point at you and follow you down the street. Just as we passed them, they all ran back to the alley we had just walked through to harass a young Palestinian boy. Also, as we entered the Old City’s Market, there was a group of IDF soldiers just “randomly†checking a Palestinian shop keeper’s IDs and passes – all the while 6 M-16s were pointed directly at him.
After finally leaving Hebron, we ran into the first border that was again closed – however, since we’re Americans, they just let us through while everyone else would have to wait 30-45min probably.
I will be writing more about these experiences and about a small village, At-Twani, that we stopped at before proceeding to Hebron. We met up with some Christian Peacemaker Teams members, and heard some really horrific stories about violence towards children and many of the internationals there to watch over them. More later.