As I mentioned in a previous post, Hebron is a fascinating microcosm of the Israel/Palestine conflict. One obvious example is the case of Shuhada Street.
The city of Hebron is divided into two primary zones: H1 and H2. H1 is primarily under the administration of the Palestinian Authority, though the Israeli army reserves the right to enter at any time without opposition. H2 is under the jurisdiction of the Israeli military. H2 is also where a number of Israeli settlements are located. You can see in the map below that the Old City of Hebron, almost entirely Palestinian, is located within H2. I am also currently staying in the Old City. Since it is part of H2, you will come across roaming Israeli army patrols and Israeli checkpoints and watch/sniper towers while walking through the streets.
Click for a larger version…
In the map above, to the left and slightly below the Old City, you will see Al-Shuhada Street. Al-Shuhada Street is strictly off-limits to local Palestinians. For example, today, I was planning on walking down Shuhada Street but my fellow Palestinian photographer was unable to accompany me and went back to our guest house.
Below you will see a photo of Shuhada Street taken from the roof of the CPT house in the Old City.
To give you an example of how strict the travel restrictions for Palestinians using Shuhada Street are, let me give you an example. Let’s say that I am standing with my Palestinian friend at the location above. If we both want to visit the Muslim cemetery, I, being an American (or more importantly, not a Palestinian), can just cross the street. He, on the other hand, has a much longer trip ahead of him. If wants to walk, he will have to walk about 1.5km and enter the cemetery from H1. If he wants to drive to the cemetery, the trip is approximately 12km.
Let me illustrate this even further. Along Shuhada Street, there are many Palestinian homes. Their front doors are located on Shuhada Street. Unfortunately, since Palestinians cannot use this road, they cannot use the front doors of their home. Instead they have to enter from behind in the Old City. The stairs on the roof below are used by a Palestinian family to enter their second or third floor home because they are not allowed to use the front door.
From inside the Old City, Israel has constructed large barricades blocking any access to Shuhada Street or any other areas that are used by Israeli settlers. Below is a photo of one such barricade:
Israeli settlers are subject to no such restrictions.
Some background
Israel occupied the West Bank after the 1967 Six Day war. Under the Fourth Geneva Convention, it is illegal for an occupying power to resettle its civilian population to occupied land. Imagine the US government offering housing and tax incentives for Americans to move to Baghdad in order to make it a permanent part of the United States. That is precisely what Israel has done. To put it into numbers, there are only about 400-500 Israeli settlers in Hebron, all protected by the Israeli army, while there are approximately 166,000 Palestinians.
Being a freelance photographer gives me a degree of freedom that might not otherwise be possible. However, that also means that I am often forced to finance my own projects. If you enjoy my work, please consider making a donation.
Shawn Duffy is a freelance commercial photographer and photojournalist based in the Washington, DC Metro area. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, he is a self-taught photographer who has decided to merge his passion for photography with his intense interest in the world around him. From the bustling streets of Bangalore, India, to the refugee camps of occupied Palestine, Shawn strives to create images and tell stories that compel others to act.
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WOW, puts things into prospective here!!!
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***Perspective
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To put some perspective did the Arab nation ever leave this choice to the Israelis??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTGox9Lcxxc&feat...
Why empty Hebron of Jews to appease the Arab side ??Where is the justice in that also?
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I feel that you do not know what to answer because you only feel the pain of Palestine …the problem is you did not imagine that the situation is so complicated and at the same time so simple….but I believe Shawn Israel will not disappear for the simple fact that the Jews learnt their history lesson……as for peace we will wait 1000 years till the other side understands why Israel exists and on what moral grounds does it have the right to exist culturally historically and religiously……the same way they have that right!!!Patience will move mountains for now Israel has to survive wars because of non recognition and i think it will…….with or without the US.Sometimes I wonder Shawn if you have ever been in a Palestinian class room in gaza or Jenin or in hebron(and understand what they learn on the yahoud the jew is arabic….??And tell me honestly if these people desire peace????But I guess you will refuse to answer…it's easier just to choose sides right?
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All comments are now moderated. Thank you for that. You've made your point and I've tried to make mine but I have more important things to do than to listen to you ramble on about what you believe is going on over here. I won't delete your previous comments because I am more than happy to have others express their views and I will continue to do so. But your point has been made and it is here, and will remain here, for all to see. But, now it's just looping back on itself.
If you have a problem with something specific in a blog post, if you feel like I've made an error, or if you would like to say something critical but constructive, I will most certainly approve it. But this is not a forum for you to spout random, dubious historical facts, run down a list of talking points, and launch baseless personal attacks. If you'd like to do that, I welcome you to look into any one of a number of free blog hosting services on the Internet.
Thank you.
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injustice is not something the world can observe. the right to freedom of movement in the world should be protected by civil society. all must rise and stop this terrible act of oppression.
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you ignor the whole history of this place shuhada street was a jewish niegberhood until in 1929 its jews were mascered and deported to jerusalem sham on you to cover real story or being ignorent of the facts
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Thank you for your comment. As you undoubtedly saw from previous commenters, I'm not here to debate the entire history of the conflict. There is plenty of injustice throughout the history of the region to go around on both sides. That being said, there is no compelling historical narrative that can justify the injustice happening on the ground now. I'm reporting the situation as it is. If you would like to debate the facts I present, then by all means do so. If you'd like to crawl through history looking for some incident or massacre that, in your eyes, justifies Israel's mistreatment of Palestinians today, then I invite you to do so on your own site.
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I have studied the Nazi expirement, and found out that Israel is behaving very much like Nazi Germany. I am sorry, but Israel is very much the nazis of our time. In the final analysis, when Jews think and behave and act like Nazis they become Nazis. I have not the slightest doubt that Jews in Israel today are behaving like Nazis.
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Thank you for the comment KMs. However, I have to disagree on your characterization of Israel as Nazi Germany. I think the situation is infinitely more complex. What I see, essentially, are two Israels. One acts as any other Western nation in that it is a liberal democracy (for the most part) and embraces most Western liberal values. Then, there is the Israel that exists for most Palestinians. This is the Israel we see in the West Bank and Gaza. A nation that puts its “security” above the most basic human rights and international law even though its actions really don't add to their security at all. It is a nation that seeks to preserve its own religious and ethnic superiority at all costs and has essentially become an apartheid state.
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This information is amazing, I never new how awful the restrictions are for Palestinians but how humiliating! The photo of the ladder says it all. Good work Shawn.
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Thank you Huntley!
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