Will Hebron become 'the capital of the intifada'?
Hebron, the largest West Bank city, might be just a few steps away from conducting armed confrontations against the Israeli army.
The Hebron governorate, in the southern West Bank, has joined the action in the intifada that erupted in early October. Participation of the residents of the Hebron area was expected, given its long record in pioneering the Israeli-Palestinian clashes in the two previous intifadas, in 1987 and 2000.
Hebron is the largest West Bank city, and its population is estimated at between 200,000 and 270,000 people. The Israeli army has closed many parts of the city and deployed its troops there; it controls 20% of Hebron’s surface area as per the 1998 Wye River Memorandum between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. The city is bordered by several Israeli settlements, mainly the Kiryat Arba settlement. Hebron accommodates around 850 settlers.
A long history of bloody events is engraved in the memories of Hebron’s citizens. The worst was the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, which took place on Feb. 25, 1994, and was committed by Israeli physician Baruch Goldstein, who shot 30 Muslim worshippers and wounded dozens.
Hebron is often in the news because of the permanent presence of settlers in the city, and the deployment of a large number of Israeli soldiers whose duty is to protect these settlers.
