Nestled in the Judean Mountains, Hebron is a city located in the southern region of Judea, in the West Bank, 30 km south of Jerusalem. With about 250,000 people, it is the largest Palestinian city and the commercial capital of the West Bank. It is home to some 120,000 Palestinians and 600 to 800 Israeli settlers. Hebron is famous for its grape workshops, limestone, ceramics and blown glass factories.
The old city of Hebron is characterized by its narrow and winding streets, stone houses with flat roofs and ancient bazaars. It is home to the University of Hebron and the Polytechnic University of Palestine. Hebron (Al-Khalil in Arabic) is explained to derive from the Hebrew word for friend (who has), a description of Patriarch Abraham. Muslims similarly describe Abraham as the friend of God.
It is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world and has been an important focus of religious worship for more than two millennia. From 1967, Jews returned to Hebron and settled back into the Jewish property they left behind in 1929, the same Jewish homes in the old city of Hebron. After an agreement reached in January 1997, part of Hebron came under the administration of the Palestinian Authority (PA), while part of the city remained under Israeli control. Local administration and services for the Jewish community in Hebron are provided by the Hebron Municipal Committee, which was established by the Ministries of Defense and Interior.
The Interim Agreement provided that, as part of the redeployment of Israeli military forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a temporary international presence would be established in Hebron (TIPH). Visiting Hebron is as much about making your own informed decisions as it is about traveling to Palestine. Delve into the Arab part of Hebron through “Apartheid Street” (Shuhada Street) on a dual narrative tour. It's not about Jews moving to a Palestinian city, but about Jews creating a piece of Israel inside Hebron, where they comply with Israeli laws that allow them to attack Palestinians.
We were told that Palestinians are not allowed to close their doors and that Israeli soldiers can enter at any time; that houses are taken by force, since many Palestinians refuse to sell their properties for millions of dollars offered by settlers. If you want to have a broad opinion about the Hebron conflict, I suggest that you talk to any settler who lives there and let them tell you their side of the story. It's a shock of dilapidated trade, as its population generates about 30 percent of the West Bank economy. Just an hour's drive from Jerusalem, it's a rewarding place to visit.
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