Hebron – expansion of the Jewish settlement
We dedicated the shift to a meeting with our activist acquaintance, Issa Amro, so as to be updated about what is happening in Hebron.
We saw again that Hebron is full of posters in every corner, as we have previously reported, about the importance of the town to the Jewish people for 4000 years. Other houses which have been bought by the settlers, are Beit Herut (freedom) next to the Ibrahimiya High School and Beit HaMachpela which is very populated and there are many children.
More tanks with soldiers in every corner (paratroopers now) were added, including those that were abandoned in the past along the worshipers' axis and along Shuhada Street. When we wanted to drive on the Zion route towards the grocery store at the yellow checkpoint, we were asked if we had weapons and when we answered that we hadn't, the soldiers apologized and refused to allow us to go there on the grounds that it is dangerous to drive there without a weapon. That's what the soldier answered and ran to guard the Jew's garage, which is nearby. We were not able to convince him that we have been going there for years and know the grocery store owners well.
Remember that there was an attack over a year ago a settler from Kiryat Arba was killed and Ofer Ohana, the Kiryat Arba security guard, badly wounded. Since then, as always, the army takes stricter precautions after such an attack.
Later I will report on what happened to us at the Kapisha checkpoint near Tel Rumeida, but first about Issa. He preferred that we come to his house and not meet us in the area of the Cave of the Patriarchs. Issa lives in Tel Rumeida and next to it is the IDF station that guards the settlers.
Ostensibly this was supposed to be for his benefit, but in practice this is not what is happening. Issa tells about the daily harassment of the settlers who come to encircle the yard of his house, throwing stones and cursing. Everything is monitored and filmed there and this in addition to the close presence of the soldiers, and yet miraculously the soldiers do not intervene or try to prevent this or protect Issa and his neighbours. Issa calls his house Zumud which is used by the Palestinians when they say that they will hold fast and explains that he will not move from it because it is clear to him that what the settlers want is to make him leave so that they can create the settlement sequence from Tel Rumeida to Beit Romano, Beit Hadassah and the Cave of the Patriarchs.
Later, Issa talks about the construction boom in the area that used to be a military base in Shuhada in front of the Muslim cemetery. Now infrastructure is being prepared for 40 apartments worth hundreds of thousands shekels each and 30 of them have already been sold on paper. Who are the buyers and how? He says that these are funds of rich Jews from America. Issa knows Itamar Ben Gvir and Israeli politics very well personally and accurately analyzes the reality and the future with the necessary realistic pessimism.
When he joined us on our way back through the archaeological park that is next to him, we met a settler named Tzipi Schlissel (you should read about her on Google) guiding tourists from Korea. The meeting between Issa and this woman is that of mutual hatred. He tells us how extreme she is and and how she hates the Palestinians and she explains to the tourists how anti-Semitic Issa is. She also says that says we have to be either stupid or anti-Semitic if we take his part. She was taking pictures of us and when I asked why, she replied that it was a unique event. So I also photographed her
We tried to have a dialogue with her and said that we also have our roots here just as she does and that we believe in a life of equality for both peoples.
She tells about her father Rabbi Ra'anan who was murdered by someone, according to her, like Issa. She also directed us to the book she wrote about the life of the Jews in Hebron. The Koreans seemed to be excited by this meeting and asked to meet with us also to hear the other side. Issa gave her his phone number as we ourselves were already in a hurry to finish the shift.
But then came a surprising delay. Issa had asked us to meet with people who live near the Kafisha checkpoint, which is about 500 meters from the Tamar checkpoint, adjacent to the park in question. The reason being that, without explanation, the previous day it had been opened after a month of being closed. He reminded us that there are 22 of these checkpoints throughout Hebron and that in the Tel Rumeida area there are 5. It is important to explain that everything is done so that the army can monitor the movement of the Palestinians more and more.
As soon as they close one area, the people have to make detours that greatly lengthen the time it takes to get where they are going and as this is on foot, it is even more difficult. So, we went and spoke to the people and asked to be updated every time there are closures and delays at the checkpoint. Then we also tried to pass there so as to go back.
The soldier stopped us and said that it was necessary to get permission to allow the tourists (?) to pass. We tried to insist and explained who we are and that we do not accept this senseless delay. Issa, as a resident of the area, is immediately allowed to pass but we are not. Issa tells us that were we settlers, we would pass without difficulty...Half an hour goes by with many calls to the big brother until the soldier gets permission to let us go back home.
This is Hebron, this is how life is for everyone who is not on the "right" side of this city of the ancestors.