Hebron ‘tours’ are psychological warfare against Palestinians

Outside the City of Hebron is the largest Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. It is called Kiryat Arba, and is thought to house more than 10,000 illegal settlers, although exact numbers are unknown. These large settlements have everything that settlers might need, including schools, health centres and shops. They also have their own roads and buses, which Palestinians are obviously not permitted to use.

But Hebron is unique in Palestine, as it is also the only occupied West Bank city with settlements inside its centre – within Palestinian neighbourhoods. Five settlements, which are all illegal under international law, are within the Old City. Known as H2, this area makes up around 20 per cent of the Hebron centre. It is under full ‘Israeli’ military control, as opposed to H1, which is under Palestinian Authority administration:

A total of about 500 settlers live in the Old City settlements and are protected by around 1500 Israeli occupation soldiers. Both settlers and the military have made life extremely difficult and dangerous for the 33,000 Palestinians living in H2.

Hebron: increasing the Jewish presence

The Old City of Hebron used to be the commercial centre for the Southern West Bank, but the economy has now collapsed in the area. While the occupation is attempting to drive Palestinians away and erase the Islamic identity of Hebron, it aims to increase Jewish presence in the city. And while Palestinians endure severe military restrictions and daily violence, settlers travel to Hebron every Saturday for a tour of the Old City. They are, of course, protected by large numbers of Israeli occupation soldiers.

The tours, which are surveilled using US-made MQ-9 Reaper drones, start at the al-Ibrahimi Mosque, and allow these settlers to walk around the city and maintain their presence in the area:

The aim is to intimidate Palestinians and show them these Zionist colonisers are in control. It also sends a message to these settlers that Palestinian land and property are there to be taken. Young settlers are encouraged to take back their homes and land that was supposedly promised to them by God thousands of years ago.

In these photos, the settlers can be seen concluding their tour by passing through the gate onto Shuhada Street. This street, once the main commercial centre in the whole of Hebron, is now closed to Palestinians. The building these settlers enter used to be a Palestinian school, until the occupation turned it into a Jewish one.

Ethnic cleansing

Hebron is a significant religious place for both Muslims and Jews. It is one of the four holy cities in Judaism, and Jews consider the city the birthplace of the Jewish people.

In Arabic, Hebron is known as Al Khalil, meaning ‘the friend,’ referring to Abraham, who is considered a prophet in Islam and whose remains are believed to be buried in the Ibrahimi Mosque. Muslims also believe Hebron was a stopping point during the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey to Jerusalem.

Settlers have a five-star lifestyle for free. They are paid a salary, do not need to work and have everything provided to them by the Israeli occupation government, including weapons. They work with the Israeli occupation’s government, military and police, making life as difficult as possible for Palestinians.

The aim of the Zionist project is displacement and ethnic cleansing in occupied Palestine, and Jewish supremacy in occupied Palestine. These ambitions are enabled by the unconditional support governments around the world give to the criminal state of ‘Israel’.

Featured image via the Canary