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Hebron
Jesper Klemedsson
Hebron is the second largest city in the West Bank and the only Palestinian city with Israeli settlements in the middle of it. For years, Israel has severely oppressed Palestinians living in the center of the city. The restrictions, prohibitions and omissions have expropriated the City Center from its Palestinian residents and destroyed it economically. Most of the shops in this area have been forced to close. Having no option, many families have left their homes. The settlers in Hebron are some of the most violent and extreme in the occupied territories. In 1994, the settler Baruch Goldstein walked into the Ibrahimi Mosque and opened fire; killing 29 Palestinians and wounding another 150. But it is the everyday life and violence this story is focusing on. The Awewi family lives next to the Avraham Avinu settlement in Hebron. Five times since 1998 fire bombs has been thrown into the family apartment. The mother of the family, Besma, lost one child after one of these attacks. Nine children are living together in the apartment that is facing frequently attacks from its neighbours; Stone throwing, destroying the water tanks, death threats and armed break-ins. All protected by Israeli soldiers. Sarit Michaelli from the Israeli human rights group B’TSELEM stresses that: “Of course, there are a lot of abuses from the settlers, but it is the soldiers that is protecting the settlers when the wrongs are committed. It is the army that restricts the Palestinian freedom of movement. It is the army that is closing Palestinian bussinies because of “security” reasons. It is the army which is the reason the Palestinians in Hebron are denied their basic human rights.”
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