Tomb of the Patriarchs

Today I did a tour of Hebron with B'Tselem. The guide was an Israeli who served in the army in Hebron twenty years ago, for the Golani Brigade. We met the spokesperson of the Hebron Jewish community and a Palestinian who runs a non-violence centre. Once again, I was amazed by the individual stories and the path which led each person to this point.

But first, a few words about Hebron. Hebron is a Palestinian city located in the West Bank. It is also the burial site of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, Leah (and possibly also Adam and Eve). You see, all this is Abraham's fault. When he arrived in the land of Canaan, he settled near Hebron, and when his wife Sarah died, he purchased a plot of land including a burial cave. This later became the tomb of the patriatchs, and has become one of the ugliest faces of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (if only Abraham knew what trouble he started!).

We stayed in the Israeli-controlled part of Hebron, which is 3 percent of the city, and where 25, 000 Palestinians and 600 Israelis live. 1, 000 Israeli soldiers are also stationed in Hebron.

The spokesperson of the Hebron Jewish community told us the story of the Jews in Hebron. The tomb of the patriarchs is the second most holy place for Jews, although it is also considered sacred for Muslims and Christians. Jewish presence in the city dates back to the 11th century. The Jewish and Muslim population of Hebron lived side-by-side in relative harmony for much of this time. Although, for seven hundred years, during the Ottoman rule, Jews were not allowed to prayer at the tomb.

And then, he said, came the massacre. In 1929, during the British rule, things turned sour. A mufti from Jerusalem began inciting violence against the Jews. On 23 and 24 August, Arabs from Hebron and surrounding villages massacred 67 Jews and wounded over 70. Many other Jews were saved by Arab families who hid them in their homes (19 families, according to our guide). After that, most Jews were relocated to Jerusalem, and the last remaining inhabitant left the city in 1947, just before Israel's independence.

The spokesperson for the Jewish community then turned to the more recent history. In 1968, a group of Jews requested permission to celebrate Pesach in Hebron. After the holiday they stayed and announced their intention to establish a Jewish settlement and received support from the government. They occupied synagogues, yeshivot, a hospital and homes which belonged to Jews prior to 1929. Today there are four settlements in Hebron city, with 600 Israelis, and one neighbouring settlement, Qiryat Arba, with 7, 000 Israelis.

The veteran soldier from B'Tselem told us that the settlement in Hebron is the only Israeli settlement in the heart of a Palestinian city. It is also the most fanatical and ideological of the settler movement. In fact, he said, the vast majority of settlers live in the West Bank because it is more affordable than in Israel, not for ideological reasons. There is ongoing violence and tension in the city, which is why B'Tselem has an active presence in the area, including a video project that acts as a deterrent to violence.

In 1994, an American-born Israeli, Baruch Goldstein, entered the tomb of the patriarchs during muslim prayers and opened fire, killing 29 Palestinians and injuring 150. This was a massive turning point, our guide told us. After this incident, the Israeli government implemented severe measures to separate the Israeli and Palestinian populations. The main Palestinian marketplace and shopping area, where the settlers also live, was closed and moved elsewhere. Palestinians who have their homes next to the settlers are not allowed to bring cars into the area nor receive visitors. They have grills on all their windows and balconies to prevent them throwing stones at the settlers and vice versa. The tomb of the patriarchs was split in two: one side for Muslims and one side for Jews.

It is like a ghost town. All the shops are bolted closed, buildings are in disrepair, and there are army checkpoints, barriers and barbed wire on every corner. All I kept thinking was, Abraham must be turning in his grave.

Our last stop was to visit a Palestinian man from Hebron who recently established a centre for non-violence in Hebron. He is furious with the Israeli government for allowing the situation in Hebron to get so bad, but he believes the only solution is non-violence. He rents a house in Hebron which houses non-violent projects. He is currently running workshops on how to use video-cameras, shoot films and edit documentaries; they run English and Hebrew classes for women, and it is a place where Palestinian children can come to play.

My initial thought of Hebron was, of course Jews have a right to be present here, it is where our forefathers and foremothers are buried, Jews have been here since the 11th century. But if I think that, then surely I must afford the same rights to the Palestinians, who's homes, or who's parents and grandparents homes, and who's holy sites are in Israel. But where does that leave us? Can the two peoples ever live together? And if not, is asserting our rights the best starting point for figuring out how to solve this mess?

I started wishing again that the pragmatists had a louder voice in this conflict.

29 days to go...