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Israeli settlers in Hebron are notorious for their violent actions against Palestinians.

The heart of Hebron has been occupied by approximately 500 Israeli settlers who claim the right to the city and its holy places. Despite the fact that their presence is illegal under international law, they have managed to violently seize numerous homes in the centre of the city and terrorized the local Palestinian population. Ironically, Israel has stationed a strong army force in the city in order to protect the 500 settlers but not the 170.000 Palestinian inhabitants. The city consequently displays a life that cannot but remind one of a pre-1994 apartheid South Africa. Since the Oslo Accords, Hebron is divided in two parts, with H1 falling under Palestinian authority and security control and H2 falling under Israeli control. However, the Israeli army conducts operations throughout the city, clearly violating the Oslo terms. It is not until visiting Hebron that one understands why the term apartheid is so often coined in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Hebron’s separated world leaves little to the imagination: different rights belong to different population groups and the tiny minority rules. In order to understand the situation in the West Bank it is a necessity to face the reality of Hebron. Unfortunately, in our wanderings through Hebron, we got to the see the ugliest face of the city in a taste of reality that was more than we bargained for.

The divided nature of the city leaves little choice but to see both sides. Therefore we cross a checkpoint in the middle of the Palestinian neighbourhood and enter a seemingly deserted street. The wind plays with the proud Israeli flags upon the houses but their presence fails to mask the stoned windows, the doors that are welded shut and the cages placed around houses in order to protect the inhabitants from attacks. We find ourselves in Shuhada Street, home to a number of Hebron settlers in the Israeli controlled area H2. I pull out my camera to capture the surreal nature of the situation and pay little attention to the car that passes and stops right behind the military post ahead. The armed man who steps out of the car obviously paid more attention to our presence than we did to his as he quickly reaches for his camera and phone. Within an instant the street looses its deserted character.

The man, whom we later learn is David Wilder - the spokesperson of Hebron’s settler community,  began to videotape us. Two additional settlers quickly join him with video cameras and shove the lenses into our faces. The soldier at the military post is also quickly joined by an increasing force of soldiers who scream that we have to leave as it is illegal for non-Jews to enter the street. Luckily we were very aware of our rights and knew that we were doing nothing illegal by crossing a public street that can be entered and used by internationals and Palestinians alike. However, the latter are not seen often anymore as they do not dare to pass in fear of attack. As expected, the soldiers could not present us the order stating that this is a ‘Jews-only street’ as such an order does not exist for this street. 

The situation escalated as the settlers continue videotaping and decide to specifically target one of the Dutch girls that was with us, probably because she wore a headscarf. They chase her down the street, while videotaping and calling her names. They demanded to see her tasserich (permit), screamed Taliban and other words I do not dare to write. We try to reason with the Israeli soldiers in order to make them act against the settlers behaviour. All we get from the approximately 10 soldiers around is a faint smile and the answer: “no the situation is not fair but what do you want me to do, these people live here”. That five settlers can get away with anything in the presence of a brigade of soldiers became painfully clear.

We decided to get our cameras out and capture the scene so that the world can see. The next few seconds passed quickly; an aggressive and hysterical settler women arrived screaming and cursing. When I took a picture of her she lashed out at the camera and hit me, a few moments later she grabbed the camera. Three soldiers were needed to retrieve the camera, but as soon as they had it they let her go and did little to nothing to keep her away from us. The fact that taking a picture was provocative but that the actions of people who were videotaping, photographing, cursing, chasing and attacking us were not provocative revealed the double standard that rules the streets of Hebron. The soldiers refused to escort us back to the checkpoint so we were trapped between aggressive settlers, soldiers who did not lift a finger and the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) an international observer force that is only mandated to observe and document the situation but not to interfere.

When the Israeli police arrived they took our passports against our will and wrote down our names and passport numbers. They refused to note the names and passport numbers of the settlers who assaulted us. Because we had done nothing illegal but became the victims of an assault we went to press charges against the settlers.

After we left the Israeli police station, TIPH was waiting to take our names, numbers and statements. As of writing, the group is finishing a report about the misconduct of the settlers and the soldiers and will send it through to the Israeli government, Palestinian Authority and their six member states. Unfortunately, this report is destined only for the eyes of the addressed and little happens with it. Without an official charge this means that the settlers got away with what they did. Because I refuse to accept this I am telling you about my experience. I want the people who took the trouble to read this to know that this is the daily reality of a city under occupation. My experience is one of many and the severity of the assault does not even resemble or comes close to what happens to the Palestinian population of Hebron everyday.

In Hebron an estimated 500 settlers control life in the city. Unfortunately, the problem of settler violence reaches far beyond city borders and impacts life in the entire West Bank, in which approximate 382.360 settlers reside in over 135 settlements, a number that excludes the 200.000 Israeli settlers who have settled in East Jerusalem. The fact that the actual number of settler violations remains hidden from the public and that ngos and organizations such as TIPH, the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) and the AIC have to monitor and report on the issues already says more than many statistics can. Despite its widespread nature, settler violence is hidden from both the Israeli public and international media.

I came here as a fellow of peace and this is still the role I want to continue to play. However, reality has robbed me of the illusion that one can reason with the radical core of the settler movement. This core is unpredictable and violent and has tremendous powers as long as the Israeli government and military continue to back its illegal actions. Still these radicals are not the people that I fear most. The ones who may become one of the greatest obstacles to peace in the future are not those who assaulted us in the streets of Hebron, but the children who they brought with them or came out of their houses to watch the scene on the sideline.