Hebron: 54 Years and only getting worse

Hebron

The Jaber neighborhood of Hebron is mostly located inside the H2 sector of the city (controlled by Israel and settled by Jewish colonists), from the Zion and prayers’ route all the way to The Forefathers neighborhood behind the Cave of the Fathers.

Over the years, many of the residents left their homes following unceasing harassments by the Jewish settler-colonists of Hebron and the army’s curbing their movement. They left their homes and moved to the H1 sector (Palestinian controlled). In H2, numerous barriers are placed in the middle of streets leading to homes, cars may not drive on the streets unless equipped with special permits and for the shortest routes. Inside the neighborhood, beside the barriers there are three checkpoints manned by soldiers at all hours of the day and night.

The checkpoints are placed along the Prayers’ route, near the House of Conflict, and at the entrance to the Hill of the Forefathers. They have all been in place ever since the settler-colonists came.

Last Thursday evening, a Palestinian boy passed by a checkpoint on the Prayers’ Route. At the same time Ofer Ohana – an infamous settler-colonist known for frequent incitement – passed by the checkpoint and told the soldiers that the boy was trying to grab the weapon of one of them. He summoned his settler-colonist pals and they began to beat up the Palestinian boy. Palestinians were alerted and a great mayhem ensued. The settler-colonists summoned more of their kind and the two policemen who arrived could not hold them back. One of the settler-colonists sprayed our friend A. and another two Palestinians with teargas. Other settler-colonists displayed their weapons and fired in the air, and one soldier fired a rubber-coated bullet at a woman’s ankle. The wounded were taken to hospital in Hebron and the boy was arrested. Videos were filmed in real time and sent to the social media, as well as appearing on Palestinian news broadcasts.

Today we came for a solidarity visit and had coffee with our friend A.

He thinks Ofer is especially harassing the Jaber neighborhood residents because they own lands with legal registration east of road 60. The settler-colonists have not ceased to built another settler-colony there, and the police and army keep dismantling. Them. Ofer is trying to scare the Jaber family in every way possible.

Occupation has lasted for 54 years now, and the situation is only getting worse.