Humanitarian Impact of Israeli Settlements in Hebron
Report published by OCHAopt February 2018
Key Facts
Israel exercises direct control over the 20% of Hebron City, known as H2, which is home to approximately 40,000 Palestinians and a few hundred Israeli settlers living in five settlement compounds.[1]
At present, over 100 physical obstacles, including 20 staffed checkpoints, segregate the settlement area and its surroundings from the rest of the city, impacting on the freedom of movement of the entire Palestinian population of H2, as well as on other residents of Hebron city.
H2 has long been a site of friction between Palestinians and Israeli forces and settlers. A wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis in H2 since October 2015, which as of February 2018 resulted in one Israeli and 27 Palestinian fatalities (the majority suspected perpetrators), has led to a tightening of restrictions.
Since late 2015, the settlement area of H2 is declared a ‘closed military zone’, further isolating over 800 Palestinian residents, all of whom must register with the Israeli authorities and be screened at a checkpoint to reach their homes; access is on foot only, and visitors are not allowed.
Another 4,500 Palestinians reside in streets adjacent to the Israeli settlements, where Palestinian vehicular movement is almost totally prohibited, and pedestrians must be screened at a checkpoint to access the restricted area.
During the past two years, four checkpoints controlling access to the closed and restricted areas were fortified with towers, turnstiles and metal detectors, and another two similar checkpoints have been added.
Nearly 260 housing units in the closed and restricted areas, or 40% of the housing stock of these parts of the city, have been abandoned by their Palestinian residents and are empty, according to a 2015 survey. [2]
512 Palestinian businesses located in these areas have been closed by military order, and more than 1,000 others have shut down due to restricted access for customers and suppliers
[1]. In 1997, pursuant to an agreement with the PLO, Israel handed control over 80% of the city (H1) to the Palestinian Authority.
[2]. Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, Hebron’s Old City Preservation and Rehabilitation Master Plan. In the entire area covered by the survey there were 1,076 abandoned housing units.
More Information
Website: www.ochaopt.org
Breaking the Silence, website created by ex-Israeli soldiers showing the reality of life in Hebron