al-Khalil (Hebron)

The Palestinian community of al-Khalil (Hebron) experienced widespread civil disruption on 4 September when incumbent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Hebron in a scheduled appearance at the Ibrahimi Mosque in the Old City. 

Bader al-Tamimi’s shop stands at the entrance to the Old City of al-Khalil (Hebron). Bader is always there it seems— a warm, dignified, welcoming presence to tourists, residents of al-Khalil members of human rights groups, and fellow craftspeople alike. He offers each a seat and thrusts small cups of coffee or tea into their hands.

Early in the morning of 22 July, more than 1,000 Israeli soldiers and government workers arrived to Sur Bahir in the southern area of East Jerusalem and aggressively began the process of demolishing 70 Palestinian homes. Alongside the sheer magnitude of the destruction, these home demolitions were particularly concerning in that the Palestinian homeowners had permission to build from the Palestinian Authority, as Sur Bahir is located in Area A, and these demolitions could set a dangerous precedent.

In the Israeli-controlled H2 area of al-Khalil (Hebron), Palestinian women and girls moving around their neighbourhoods encounter a number of obstacles to their freedom and security vis-a-vis Israeli military, border police, and settlers. The checkpoint, however, is an unpredictable and isolated site of male control, where no one can see what happens, or guess how long the passage might be. At one of the 21 permanently-staffed checkpoints in H2, a woman might have her ID checked, bags inspected, or encounter demands that she submit to a body search, often when no female soldiers are present.

In April 2019, three major checkpoints (Bab al-Zawiyeh / 56, Salaymeh / 160, and Qitoun / 209) in the Old City of al-Khalil (Hebron) were surrounded with wooden planks and large signs saying, “Welcome to the Crossing” in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. The Hebron Municipality has shared a concern that these developments are likely a starting point for the privatization of these checkpoints. The danger of the Israeli military authorities turning over these checkpoints to the private security sector is that the Israeli authorities will regard them as official border crossings between two countries, and not as part of the daily route of Palestinians living in one city.