Holy Land: The settlements are illegal and completely wrong

Source: CPT Palestine

The city of Hebron is built on beautiful hills surrounding it. The streets are bustling with cars and people and are full of life. It is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.

At the centre of the modern city, you would be mistaken to think of it as divided, but that changes when you walk into the old city. Big metal gates block the way with heavy revolving doors, allowing only one person to pass through at a time. You enter through the gates and enter a cabin where heavily armed Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) soldiers question your reason to pass. Some of the streets have metal bars over them to protect the Palestinian people from the Israeli settlers who throw stones at them and are divided by concrete walls and barbed wire. Hundreds of cameras surveil the streets of Hebron. You are continuously monitored by soldiers stationed in posts overlooking the streets and are subject to arbitrary searches by them. There is no legal or illegal, only the soldier's will.

But what are these soldiers protecting? They protect the settlements in the old city of Hebron. The settlements were mainly houses in which Palestinian families lived until Israeli settlers came and threw them out with the help of the Israeli army. The settlers either occupy former Palestinian homes or demolish them and build new ones on top.

Palestinians are forbidden to use some streets, like Al Shuhada Street, once the main street with hundreds of shops. All these shops have been closed. Many lost their homes, and even more lost their businesses. Palestinians who had lived in the area for generations - who couldn't call another dwelling home - were evicted by people who had never set foot in the old city but who, by accessing Israeli citizenship, were permitted to occupy these homes. The settlers' occupation was made possible by the overwhelming military presence of the IOF and backed by the unconditional support of the United States and countries in Europe.

The settlements are illegal and completely wrong; this is not only my opinion but also the conclusion of the International Court of Justice, which ruled on July 19, 2024, that all settlements on the West Bank are illegal. Further, they ordered that Israel pull out all settlers and the IOF from the territory and stop using the natural resources of the Palestinian people. This ruling is not binding for Israel, but international pressure on it to comply is growing.

Soldiers repeatedly told us that we shouldn't go to the H1 area (area controlled by the Palestinian Authority) because it would be dangerous, but I have never felt more scared than standing in front of an Israeli soldier. As soon as I left the H2 (Israeli-controlled area)area and entered H1, I felt relieved, and a lot of pressure fell off my shoulders.

At every shop we visited, welcoming shopkeepers invited us to have coffee and a chat. The Palestinian people are the most warm and welcoming people I have ever met. I can't even begin to count the number of times people invited us for a meal, which was always a good time. Although they have endured a lot, the Palestinians have retained their friendly and welcoming ways.

Often, people want to make this issue about religion. But the simple fact is this is an issue between people who have lived in the West Bank all their lives and who have been forcefully displaced from their homes by an invading military force that has occupied their homes and land. According to the International Court of Justice, the occupation and building of settlements are a crime, and the call is clear: the Israeli government should act accordingly and pull out its settlers and the military force protecting them.

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Christian Peacemaker Teams: https://cpt.org/