Visiting Hebron: The most troubled city in Palestine

Very interesting post, and I appreciate that you covered the troubled past that has led to the troubled present. I have a Jewish friend whose family had lived in Hebron for centuries and was subsequently forced out, so I think the reality is not nearly as black and white as some on the Palestinian side would present.

Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your opinion 🙂 I’m sure your friend’s family must have very interesting stories to tell.

I tried to cover what happened in the past but, as I said, this is a very small summary. Their history is too complicated. We can’t say that the 1929 massacre was the cause of the conflict, as this fight has been happening for centuries. Also, this 1929 massacre could have been partly caused by the Zionism, a movement which I don’t believe in. There are too many causes and consequences. We’ll never find the truth but, if there is something I am sure about, is that for the last 5 or 6 decades, the Israeli government is not acting correctly.

I read this article for some information and was very disappointed at the bias displayed here. You call people Jewish incorrectly, such as the Jewish is standing and praying. It is actually the Jewish man or Jewish woman, not just a Jewish. Secondly, you attempt to justify the murders of Jews in 1929 due to “zionism” which means simply Jews believing they can live in Israel which is their Holy land. Yet, you discuss as “cruel” the murder of Arabs praying in a mosque. So according to you, Jews deserve to be murdered for simply living in a place, but the murder of anyone else is “cruel”. While settlers may throw garbage onto the street as pictured here, or even commit other unacceptable acts (I only have your words here to go on as you haven’t offered proof of excrement or bleach thrown), you completely gloss over and leave out the reason why there is a military presence in the area which is the constant and violent attempts by Arabs in the area to murder Jews. You say that you are neutral, but then admit in the comments that you are anti-zionist. So essentially, you don’t believe that Jews should be allowed to live in a place where their holiest sites are, in peace, and you ignore the fact that the only reason there are checkpoints is to protect those Jews from being murdered. Yet you point to the jewish star of David stamped on Arab doors as a great crime, while hiding the crimes against those Jews. I am not one to defend the bad behavior of Jewish settler’s, but you have no excuse to hide the truth of how violent and intolerant the Muslim Arab population is towards the Jews in Hebron.

You are putting some of my words out of context but anyways, if you want me to say it… Yes, I don’t believe in Zionism and I don’t like Hamas either. I don’t like any extremism and I think that those settlers are crazy fucks. Moving to such a troubled place, forcing many Palestinians to go away from their homes, just because it is their holy place, just because a deal they made with god centuries and centuries ago, and all happening in the 21st century… This is totally bullshit man and maaaaaany Israelis know that… Murdered for simply living in a place? Please, don’t make me laugh… The Palestinians may have done many things wrong but dude… what the settlers are doing has no name. Internationally, the settlers policy is only supported by Donald Trump, so that says everything…

Why the foul language?

“Yes, I don’t believe in Zionism ”

So you dont believe in the right for jews to have their own country in their homeland?
But you have no problems, what so ever, with there being over 40 moslem states/countries…
Hebron, hebrew.
Jews/Jood/Jude -, Judea.

Arabs cant even say P so how can “palestine” be theirs?
Filastiiiin filastiiin… Well, if theyre “filistines” they should go back to Crete or stay in Gaza.

“Internationally, the settlers policy is only supported by Donald Trump, so that says everything…”

Maybe you should educate yourself and listen to what other national leaders say about this.. I.e the President of Czech Republic for instance.

And isnt it hilarious that the moslems claim every God damned place to be “holy” to them?
How many are they going to have?
And you show your lack of knowledge by saying its “islams 4th holiest place”. What a load of BS.
Especially since the Shias and Sunnis have different opinions on this.
Two towns in Iraq are more “holy” to moslems than Hebron, which puts it at #6…
Hell, PETRA is even more holy to some moslems than Hebron.
They have their Meccas and Medinas, Jews have Yerushalaem and Hebron.
With moslem logic the jews should probably claim Jericho as well.

Your attacking the jews for the same reason your supporting the arabs moslems. They say that their “prophet” claims this and that, and youre okay with that. But when the jews say it, its “a deal with god centuries ago” and it doesnt count.

What about jews living in Mecca today? (ironic, right?) – for how many seconds would their house stand before someone sets it on fire and kills them?

Joan, you are disappointing me. I don’t like extremism too, as you put yourself, however:

1. Zionism is the national movement of the Jewish people for self determination. If you don’t believe in Zionism, you are putting yourself in the side of those whom oppose the the Jewish right of self determination, while you are supporting the Palestinian right of self determination. Why only the Jews are not “worthy” enough for self determination? Are you really against extremism? if you are, you should respect the Jewish right of self determination.

2. Settlers – the settlers are not a homogeneous group. Calling them as a group ‘crazy fucks’, apart from the extremely INAPPROPRIATE foul language, shows that your views are ‘black and white’. Everybody knows that the world is grey (except for extremists). If you are not an extremist, I think you shouldn’t use foul language at all for once, and I would expect you, a person whom have traveled in the West Bank, to know that the Israelis that live in the West Bank are coming from very, very, wide backgrounds, beliefs and political views. Thus, not calling them as a group in any adjective.
Thinking that ALL settlers are there because of a deal with god is part of the problem, of not understanding the wide Israeli society.

3. “murdered for simply living in a place?” – are you really blaming the Israelis for murdering Palestinians for a place? I am in awe.
Are there rogue Israelis? yes. Are there rouge Spanish people? yes. Does it say that all the Israelis or all the Spanish people are bad? NO.
I am not justifying actions done by individual settlers, whom consist a very small minority of all of them. They should be persecuted by the law, and many are – as Israel is a lawful country.
If you believe that Israelis are murdering Palestinians as a matter of state policy, you are being brainwashed. Joan, I thought you are smarter than that.

Hebron is the oldest Jewish city in the world. The fact that “Palestinians” (Arabs from Arabia) now live there is of note but the true history of the place can’t be ignored. Additionally, ths article shows a “fence” above a market place. But the comment about it doesn’t make any sense. Written in the article is that the settlers throw eggs (etc.) down from there so the fence stops that. Frankly, I have no idea how what is show would stop anything. Anyway, then the article goes on to say that AFTER the fence was constructed, then the settlers starting throwing eggs, etc. So what is it? Before or after? It is difficult to take seriously an article that is written so badly and contradicts itself, although always framing Jews as culprits.

What you’ve written under the title “A piece of (very short) history” is very biased!

My comments:
The Jewish presence in Hebron goes back for centuries, before Arabs came to to city.
The Jewish community there was actually not Zionist. They even rejected the proposal from Zionist Jews to have armed Jewish guards (as they were in other Jewish communities in the country) since they believed centuries of co-existence with their Muslim neighbors will do their job. But, that didn’t work, and as you mentioned – there was a massacre in 1929, after which the Jews were forced to leave their homes in Hebron. As an ancient community in the city, the homes of the Jewish community are located in the old city of Hebron, naturally.

Since 1967, Jews returned to Hebron and settled back in the JEWISH PROPERTY left behind in 1929, the same Jewish homes in the old city of Hebron.

Thanks for adding the comment. It’s difficult to summarize everything in 2 sentences but, at least, I tried to mention the 2 massacre from both sides, to keep the article objective. I have approved your comment so people can read it. thanks

You did make some attempt to be objective. I appreciate that.

Hi Joan,
I loved this article! There are always two sides to a story, and in the case of Palestine and Israel, you can’t win. If you offer a thought, you will get blasted from one side or the other. This article is about unbiased as you can be without picking a side. I admire that you held your own on these comments. I write a blog as well, and I defend my thoughts when people want to debate my experience or tell me how it is according to them.
What baffles me is how many people will jump in with their opinions. Most have not experienced it for themselves. Mainly people from the west who live off of the politically driven version of news vs. reality. I can say this with clarity – I live in the US!
I did a tour in Belfast where we explored the area’s where the Troubles occurred. I’ve not written about it yet. But, whenever I tell people about it, they have no clue what I am talking about. Add insult to injury they can’t comprehend the reality of walls diving communities over religion. And that’s in Belfast
At the end of the day if people don’t like what you offer they should move on. Cudo’s for being brave enough to share your experience. Great article!
Nikki – Brit on the Move

Hello, how are you?

Is it possible do visit Hebrom without a guide?
The bus station is near the Complex and the Souq? I mean, can i do walking?

Thanks

Yes, it possible.
The bus leaves you between 1-2km from the old city

Thank you for the quick reply.

So, the same place where i will be dropped i get the bus back to Jerusalem or Bethelem?
From that place is easy to find the souk?

Thanks

The souq can be easily found, yes. You just need to go straight, down the avenue. Do you have maps.me?
That place where I dropped off isn’t really a station but if you go back, you should find one going to Bethlehem on the same street. Worst case scenario, you can ask about Bethlehem Service. They will understand what you mean.

Nice, thank you again.

Until now i don’t know if i’m going to stay the night in Bethelem or Jerusalem.

I’m so glad to find this as I am about to post about my experience on the Dual Hebron tour on my blog. Would it be okay if I used your picture of Abraham’s tomb? It came out better than mine. I’d be glad to give you photo cred and I’d like to link this post to mine at elizabethbbristol.com for readers who are interested in more perspective if that’s okay with you? Thanks!!

Your objection to Zionism, as extremist, means you do not believe the Jewish people deserve a state in the homeland in which they have resided for 3,000 years, no matter how minuscule. It might be helpful to your readers to understand your reasoning.

Coming back to the Holy Land land, mainly because a deal you made with God 3000 years ago is totally bullshit, and colonialist, and racist, not to mention the expulsion of the Palestinians from the land they had been living for generations. Zionism’s plan was not to take a minuscule land as you say, but it was a movement that lead to actual violence and truly promoted land confiscation.

I’ll always be against any form of antisemitism, but Zionism is bullshit.

Please learn about the 850,000 Jewish families who, in the 1930s, were forced to flee with only the shirt on their back and all their properties confiscated, from Arab nations: Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Algiers, Tunisia, Libya, Iran. These precious people had nowhere else to go. How would YOU like to have NO PLACE in the world where you could lay your head down to sleep and feel safe?
———————–
Current research documents that the number of Jews living in Arab countries and Iran totaled more than 850,000 at the time of Israel’s independence. Some scholars even think the number is closer to one million. In the North African region, 259,000 Jews fled from Morocco, 140,000 from Algeria, 100,000 from Tunisia, 75,000 from Egypt, and another 38,000 from Libya. In the Middle East, 135,000 Jews were exiled from Iraq, 55,000 from Yemen, 34,000 from Turkey, 20,000 from Lebanon and 18,000 from Syria. Iran forced out 25,000 Jews.

1. “Coming back to the Holy Land”:
1a. You are ignoring the fact that there were always Jews in the Holy Land.
1b. Yes, the Jews came back, not because of a deal with god. Zionism, The Jewish movement for self determination, is – believe it or not – secular, always was. I hope one of your eyebrows moves up (otherwise you have been brainwashed too much I would say). The fact that there was a Jewish Kingdom in the Holy Land for over 1000 years is indisputable (and I’m not talking about beliefs). Since it has been conquered by the Romans in 70 C.E (whom have relocated many Jews to Europe as a punishment), there was never any other independent country in the region. It took the Jews 2000 years but they are still here today, and they have a right of self determination. No, not on the expense of the Palestinians. But a right of self determination, just like any other nation has.
The Palestinians bear a right of self determination too. And them too, not on the expense of the Jews. The Israelis and Palestinians will have to find the middle way here.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a Jewish-Muslim conflict. Jewish or Muslim values are not attacked in the crisis. I am sure you have mentioned that, and thus I hope you realize that those whom try to take it to the religious level are the extremists.

If you have access to history books, try to get a book on the 19th century, to see how small the population was in the country, almost an empty land. I cannot accept any attack on the Jewish right of self determination that globally says that the Jewish right is bullshit, colonialist or racist. Either be precise, talk about specific cases, or do not talk like this. Please, this is not the way civilized people talk.

Hi Joan, I visited Hebron last year, as a “born-Christian, now aethiest” European. I think you have presented a very fair and reasonable explanation of the conflict and tensions in Hebron.
I found the settler’s conduct appalling, and I was disgusted by how they treat the Arab families still living in H2. There were even 2 Jewish men in our group and they were shocked by the situation.
There was an Arab shopkeeper close to the synagogue, who was a very nice man, and his family too, and we saw first-hand how badly he was treated by not only the settlers passing, but also the Israeli army in their checkpoint hut opposite his house.

To be anti-Zionist is a form of being antisemtic, and your article and the comments that follow scream it. I don’t agree with violence of any kind, and this article only briefly mentions a massacre against Jews in 1929 (this was 20 years before the state of Israel was established, the residents were not Zionists), and then goes on to a laundry list of transgressions by Jews against Palestinians. Without degrading the very real and upsetting Palestinian experience, if you had spent any time speaking to the Jewish population with an open mind, you would have heard that there have been–and continue to be–two sides to this story. Among your most shocking omissions (of which there are many), you forget to include that in 2001 that a Palestinian sniper aimed, shot, and killed a Jewish BABY (Shalhevet Pass) solely because her father was dressed as a religious Jew. Did you just “forget” the Israeli government’s large, bright red signs that dot the road as you approach Hebron and warn Jews to only enter the city at their own peril? Suffice to say there is a reason that the IDF has a strong presence in Hebron, and to use your own crass words–it’s not just to back up the bad acts of some “crazy f*ck” settlers.

I’m really shocked by this biased and one-sided article. You did not even mention in a hint the hundreds of Jews who were murdered and injured in recent years solely because of their sin that they were born Jews !! I have no explanation for the fact that you completely ignore the Jewish side. Indeed, the indecent anti-Semitism against the Jews and their accusation of persecution against them has always been, and unfortunately I see that even today it exists and in a big way.

I think the focus of this thread is a bit off: Jews have lived in Hebron for centuries, but that doesn’t justify the human rights violations that the state of Israel & the settlement movement is currently perpetrating there.

The issue in Hebron is a case of national sovereignty being violated: the city of Hebron is a Palestinian city (like Tel Aviv is an Israeli city), and the Israeli settlement movement, supported by military protection from the IDF & the government, is building settlements in that city that they claim are an extension of the Israeli state into that city. This is not a question of Jews moving into a Palestinian city, but one of Jews creating a piece of Israel inside Hebron where they abide by Israeli laws that allow them to attack Palestinians. The settlers are homogenous in that they are homogeneously violating international law in building their settlements. If someone moved into your neighborhood and placed their country’s flag there and said that your neighborhood is now a part of their country, wouldn’t you be angry & intolerant? This isn’t a question of Jews & Arabs peacefully coexisting, this is a question of settlements seeking to take over pieces of that city in the name of Israel. And its not just in Hebron, but all over the OPT.

If anyone is interested in learning more about Hebron and the nuances between “Jews living there” v. the settlement movement, please check out this short documentary by a former IDF soldier: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/16/opinion/israel-palestine-idf-mission-hebron.html

If you’d like to learn more about martial law and brutal occupation policies Israel has inflicted on the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a whole, check out this resource by activist & Oscar-nominee Farah Nabulsi: https://www.oceansofinjustice.com/

As a half-Jew, it is important to me that Jews have a homeland. The fact is that they do have a homeland now. It’s against Jewish values (and international law) to try to expand that homeland further by displacing people who have lived in the area for over a millennium. While the violence of the past breaks my heart, it’s also true that the violence was two-sided (e.g., the Palestine Riots mentioned above saw an equivalent number of Arab deaths overall compared with Jewish deaths). If you’d like to learn about the Palestinian side of the story since 1948, please google: “Nakba”, “Deir Yassin Massacre” and “al-Dawayima Massacre.”

A former IDF soldier can also lie, or to be more precise, a half-truth is worse than a lie.. And regarding the “crimes of the settlers”, Israel is a state of law and all security measures are legitimate things to prevent the murder of Jews for a purely racial motive as happened in the past and is happening these days Israel has done the nonsense you are preaching in the past, and unilaterally seceded from the Gaza Strip and expelled 8,000 Jews from there, and what did we get??? Missiles and rockets and abysmal hatred and taking all the billions the world poured there into weapons and extreme Islamic terrorism, so you expect us to double the state of terror/Hamstan times 20 in the West Bank, which controls from above all of Tel Aviv and the airport and the entire center of the country???? Is there a single country in the world that you would demand with such wickedness and brazenness to commit such an act of suicide?! Finally, I remind you that the so-called “moderate” Palestinian Authority calls squares and streets over It names murderers and calls them “heroes”, and also gives high salaries to murderers in prison whose salary amount is determined by the number of years they were sentenced to.. In other words, the more Jews you kill, the more money you get… Shame that you defend these anti-Semites instead of defending the only democratic and enlightened country In the Middle East in the sea of darkness and the dictatorships in the region.. as long as the plastic Nim will not educate their children for peace and tolerance and not for terrorism and violence, and stop ruling over them with extremist and homophobic people, there will be no peace here!! After everything the Jewish people have been through for thousands of years, we will defend ourselves on our own!!

Pretty Islamaphobic sir: Lebanon, Tunisia, and Turkey are all democracies and though its a monarchy, people have a pretty free life in Jordan as well (I’ve visited). Israel is democracy for Ashkenazi Jews (myself included), but Arabs, Christians, and even black & brown Jews are all treated as second class citizens, or worse (I’ve lived there, I’ve seen).

And then to call all the people of Gaza “terrorists” — where is your humanity? Do you know that 47 people died last weekend, of which 15 were children? Do you know that Israel has a policy of controlling how much food goes into Gaza so the people there, mostly civilians, are kept at just above starvation level? Do you know that over the past 10 years, 1100+ children have been killed in bombings in Gaza…And why are they in this battle? Because 1M+ of them were displaced from their homes of 1000+ years in 1948, moved into 2 tiny territories, and increasingly infringed upon by settlements, and not allowed to leave or else they will never be allowed to return. And yes, given all that, they fight back against the IDF’s tanks, sophisticated weaponry, and US funded Iron Dome. The Palestinians did not have anything to do with the Holocaust or the pogroms or the Romans – don’t conflate these things. And to your point, Jews who murder Arabs also get high salaries & power — look at Ariel Sharon, who went from the Sabra & Shatilla massacres to the Prime Ministry! And Menahem Begin, who ordered the massacres as Prime Minister!

This is a war with 2-sides, and the numbers of casualties (especially among civilians and children) on the Palestinian side are really mind numbing. Everyday on the West Bank, a child is killed.

Re: Hebron & the OPT: The issue, again, is not Jews coexisting in Palestinian territories. It’s the fact that settlers who settle there claim the territory as “sovereign Israeli land” which it is NOT according to international law. As documented by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty, and B’Tselem, the settlers perpetrate tremendous violence against the rightful Palestinian residents in an effort to get them to leave: https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution . But where can they go? This is their home too for the past 1000+ years, and if they leave, they will never be allowed to come back.

I guess you can always say everything is a lie & fake news – that’s the nature of the world in 2022. But the New York Times, the Oscars, the UN, HRW & Amnesty – if these are lies, then there isn’t any truth left in the world.

Thanks for the great story Joan!

What a great blog article Joan. Nuanced and objective. Having been to Hebron, I was horrified by the vigilantes that pose as settlers and wreak havoc and horror for the average Palestinian on a daily basis. I support the right of Israel to exist but find it very difficult to justify what is being done in Hebron by Israeli settlers, while IDF soldiers look on and do nothing.

Thanks for the comment, Omar, agree 100% 🙂

Is it still safe to visit Hebron at this time? Also, are American citizens allowed to go to the Gaza Strip. I am a Filipino American here in Los Angeles.

Hi Michael, nobody has ever allowed entering into Gaza unless you are a journalist or a humanitarian worker, and Israel is he one ho has to approve it. Good luck.

Hi Joan, thank you so much for this information. I live in Los Angeles and have never been out of the country. I want very much to visit Hebron and see what life is like in the West Bank. Joan, do you think I can visit here for a few days on my own? What I mean is without a tour guide. Just by myself. Or do you think it would be too difficult and dangerous for me with no travel experience outside of the US? Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Mike, Hebron has always had many foreign visitors and tourists, you won’t have a problem there. If you don’t feel confident, you can book a tour in your hostel in Jerusalem

Visiting Hebron: The most troubled city in Palestine

A piece of (very short) history

Visiting Hebron: The situation nowadays

H1 – The Palestinian side

Abraham’s tomb – Neutral zone

H2 – The Jewish side

What’s the actual truth?

More information about visiting Hebron

Where to stay in Hebron

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