This study argues that Israel's settlement policy, which supports the presence of radical Jewish fundamentalists with a strong anti-Arab ideology in the middle of a Palestinian city, is the proximate reason for the high level of violence in Hebron. It is shown that Israel's policy of settling its own citizens in the Occupied Palestinian Territories is motivated by geopolitical and strategic goals and rests on a tacit alliance between the State of Israel and extremist Jewish settler groups such as Gush Emunim. It is because of this alliance that the Israeli army often fails to protect Palestinian civilians against settler violence, and settlers who attack their Palestinian neighbours often are not brought to justice.

Currently, the Israeli government, together with the settler establishment in Hebron and their supporters inside Israel, is implementing a plan that aims to transform Hebron's Arab Old City into a Jewish city by further expanding the settlements inside Hebron and connecting them to Kiryat Arba'. This plan will accelerate the already severe deterioration of living conditions among Palestinians in the city and is a prime example of Israel's continuing entrenchment of its inhumane military occupation.