Hebron is a city in the West Bank. It is important because it was the place where David was king before he had his kingdom in Jerusalem. Hebron is also the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their wives. It is a holy site for both Muslims and Jews because both groups revere the same people. There is a lot of controversy in Hebron right now because of the Jewish settlements. The area is populated by a Muslim majority however the actual land of the West Bank is controlled by Israel since after the 1967 Yom Kippur War. The Muslims living in this area are not Israeli citizens and don't have the same rights as Israelis even though they are the majority in the area. The Jewish people have established settlements in the area even though it is discouraged because of the poor relationship between the Jews and Muslims and because certain pockets are more in the control of Muslims now and it makes it more difficult to have a peace agreement. The small group of Jewish settlers are protected by the Israeli army and there is also an independent group of observers in Hebron from a couple of European countries especially Norway that keep an eye on things for both sides to ensure peace.
Our tour to Hebron was called dual-narrative. This meant that for the first half of the day we would hear about Hebron and the West Bank from the perspective of a Jewish tour guide, and the second half of the day we would hear from a Palestinian tour guide from their perspective.
Here is a promotional video for the tour:
The Jewish tour guide speaking in the video (and the Muslim tour guide in the red shirt) are the same ones that we had, and we also saw many of the same sights and ate our lunch in the same house, belonging to the Muslim family.
Here is a good article about the current situation in Hebron (one mistake: Hebron was not the birthplace of Abraham):
Israeli soldiers (IDF) have a strong presence in the area, protecting the Jewish settlers. Hebron continues to have problems with Palestinians trying to kill Israeli soldiers in suicide attacks. A few months ago an Israeli soldier was found guilty of killing a Palestinian. This is the first time that an Israeli soldier was put on trial for killing a Palestinian who was defenseless. This Palestinian had tried to kill some Israeli soldiers with a knife but he had been subdued by the Israelis and was lying on the ground. That is when another Israeli soldier came up and killed him in cold blood. Some Israelis consider him a hero and that he should not get jail time:
On the tour, we saw the site where the soldier killed the Palestinian. It is a complicated issue, to say the least.
For the first part of the tour we walked around the entire Jewish territory inside Palestine. This is the only place Jewish people can be; if they go outside this area, they will not be protected by the Israeli army anymore and will probably get badly hurt or killed by the Palestinians. We first went in the visitor center where a lady told us about the massacre that happened in Hebron. Many Jews were killed, even women, children, and babies. It seemed horrible from the pictures. A lady also told us about her father being murdered by an anonymous Palestinian terrorist. Then we went out and our tour guide told us about all the knifings and stabbings that happen when Palestinian youth basically go on a suicide mission to kill members of the Israeli soldiers who protect the Jewish settlements. It happens at least once a month! Then we walked through the rest of the area and lastly visited the church where the matriarchs and patriarchs (like Rebekah and Abraham) were supposedly buried under it, in a cave. Even in the church, they had a Muslim and Jewish side, and they couldn't cross over.
After that, we were introduced to the Palestinian tour guide. We had lunch at his home and then went to a cafe so he could explain the basics of who controlled what in Hebron. A lot of it did not make sense to me. Then we walked through the Palestinian side of Hebron, and we could see that the Palestinians weren't the only ones being mean. Since the Jewish settlements were in buildings that were high up and overlooked the market and walking areas, the Jews would throw trash, rocks, and other things down at the Palestinians. Many of the walking areas had to have wire fencing above it to catch the garbage so it would protect the people below it. We also learned about a shooting that happened in a mosque, where an extreme Jew came in and shot and killed many praying Muslims. After visiting the mosque where this happened and the actual city of Hebron, the tour ended. In conclusion, from both sides of the story, I think that Jews and Palestinians are both at fault because they are constantly seeking revenge and justification for what the other group has done. Sadly, this problem can only stop if one group decides to stop the violence and hate and act with peace toward the other group.
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| Signs in the Jewish settlements |
Army post to protect the Jewish settlements. There is a turnstile and security check below that we walked through to get to another area
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| Archaeological ruins in the Jewish section of Hebron (which the Israelis use as a justification that they have had a historical connection to that land for a long time) |
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| This is a house where Palestinians live side by side with the Jewish settlers. It has created some tense situations in the past (thus all the bars and wire) but now it is calm |
Picture of Palestinian controlled Hebron city
A panorama view
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| Tour group with our Jewish guide in the center. This is the tomb of Jessie (David's father) |
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| The symbols of the five branches of the Israeli army |
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| Graffiti of the third temple (Jews hope the thrid temple will come in the future) |
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| Graffati depicting chicken cartoon characters that show the type of people who live or come to Hebron. The Jewish guide is pointing to the one that represents our group, the people who come to Hebron with cameras |
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| These Jewish scrolls were rescued from a fire and are hundreds of years old |
A close-up
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| Side view of the tomb of the matriarchs and patriarchs (considered by both Jews and Muslims). It was built by Herod the Great over a cave where they were buried |
Front view
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| Ceremonial coffin of Abraham |
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| Through this window, the Muslims are on the other side (the tomb was kind of divided so Muslims and Jews could see the same things but from opposite sides and not be together and "venerate" in different ways |
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| Entering a Hebron market - there was a lot of yelling of people selling their wares, and cars and buggies squeezing down the middle of the market, and garbage. You had to watch your step. We were told to keep moving fast so all in all it didn't feel very safe. But look at the size of the cabbage and spring onions! |
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