Hebron

Hebron is situated in the West Bank. More than 150.000 Palestinians live here. Furthermore, Hebron house a group of about 500 Jewish settlers (both numbers are likely to have increased since I was there in 2008, though).

When I visited Hebron in 2008, we could not enter the new part of the city - a mobile check point had been put up and the rumours were that this was due to a house demolition carried out by the Israeli military because the people in this house were said to hide a member of Hamas. Like so many other times in this country, you will never be quite sure of what is really going on, though.

In stead, we found our way into the old city so we could see the mosque and the synoagogue that are built just beside each other.

It was a creepy experience - still today, I do not feel like going back. The streets were desolate, empty, with only a few children playing and a few people riding their donkeys. The houses stood there with their white, naked facades and I felt as if they were staring at me with their white, blind eyes.

Hebron has experienced much tension between the Jewish settlers and the Palestinian inhabitants. The city is holy within both religions, since it is said to house the grave of Ibrahim (for Arabs)/Abraham (for Jews). To muslims, Ibrahim's grave is holy because he is considered one of the first muslims. To Jews, Abraham is considered one of the great patriarchs. The clashes between Palestinians and Jews have been very fierce. In 1994, a Jewish settler entered the mosque during a prayer and killed 29 muslims and then committe suicide. Due to the tensions, the presence of Israeli military is massive.

Above: Ibrahim's/Abraham's tomb - seen from inside the mosque.
Below: Inside the mosque, inside and outside the synagogue that is just beside the mosque.

When we visited Hebron, our Palestinian friends from Bethlehem went with us. They had to show their identity papers three times before we could even enter the area, where the mosque and synagogue is. I remember the horror in the face of the young soldier as he saw us - he clearly had no idea of how to handle the situation. At the same time, I could feel our friends' anxiety everytime they had to pass over their identity papers. Not to mention the humiliation. When we were inside the mosque, a small group of 3-4 Jewish men were given a tour there. When we went to see the synagogue, the Palestinians were not allowed to enter along with us.

The photo shows a military control post (in the background).

The deserted streets of the old city in Hebron.