Nablus, Jerusalem, and Hebron: Three old cities united by occupation

Although, the West Bank is under Israeli occupation, the measures used to enforce and maintain the occupation differ between locales. The differing impacts of these occupation measures became particularly apparent after placing my recent visits to the Old Cities in Nablus and Hebron in the West Bank in context with the current reality in the Old City of Jerusalem. In Arab and Palestinian culture, old city neighborhoods are comprised of grand rock archways and beautiful, historic architecture. Traditionally, old cities also are the center of commerce and the beating heart of the community.

Nablus has long been the commercial and business center in the northern West Bank and is thus a very important trade location for villagers from communities surrounding Nablus. However, during and after the 2nd Intifada, which began nearly ten years ago, Nablus was encircled by a series of six Israeli military checkpoints. The city was essentially under siege by the Israeli army with checkpoints controlling all vehicular and pedestrian travel to and from Nablus. Thus, it was very difficult if not impossible, depending on the current Israeli restriction regime, for the movement of goods and people in and out of the city.

Nablus' Old City was nearly lifeless during this period, and the dire economic impacts of the siege were tremendous. For example, according to the UN, municipal revenues from the vegetable market dropped by 90% from roughly $1.3 million in 2000 to $130,000 in 2005. Additionally, unemployment rose from 14.2% in 1997 to 60% in 2004. The Nabulsi soap industry, which was one of the major industries in Nablus, has been hit particularly hard. During a tour of the Touqan Soap Factory (see slideshow on right), the manager of the company revealed that of the 35 soap factories operating in Nablus prior to the 2nd Intifada, only two are still functioning. However, he also stated that the economic situation in Nablus has begun to improve during the past few months, largely as a result of Israel's lifting of movement restrictions at the checkpoints surrounding Nablus. During my visit to Nablus last week, the Old City felt alive and breathing after being suffocated for nearly a decade.

East Jerusalem, including the Old City, has been internally occupied and administered by the State of Israel since the implementation of Israeli law in 1967. The impact of the occupation was felt immediately in 1967 when the entire Moroccan (Mughrabi) Quarter, which was located near the Western Wall, was destroyed (all families were expelled) to increase the size of the Jewish Quarter. Since that time, settler organizations, such as Elad and Ateret Cohanim, with the support of the Israeli government, have continued to take over as much Palestinian property as possible (click on map above). In October 2008, settlers strengthened their religious presence in the Old City by opening the "Ohel Yitzhak" synagogue roughly 80 meters from Al-Haram Ash-Sharif, which is the third holiest site in Islam and is referred to as the Temple Mount by Jews. According to the Israel Construction and Housing Ministry, there are approximately 75 families and 600 yeshiva (religious) students currently living outside of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City. Plans are underway to build a new settlement (35 units) within the Muslim Quarter, which is home to roughly 22,000 Palestinians.

The signs of Jewish Israeli settlement are visible throughout the Old City, particularly in the Muslim Quarter. Dark brown wooden doors with large, black metal locks, in contrast to the metal doors of Palestinian owned homes, and Israeli flags flying from rooftops and balconies reveal the location of settler-occupied homes, synagogues, and yeshivas. The Old City also is under complete surveillance with an Israeli army and police presence on every major street corner and 'security' cameras located on nearly every road and alleyway.

The Old City of Hebron (southern West Bank), unlike those of Jerusalem and Nablus, is largely deserted. As a result of the Oslo Accords in the mid-1990s, Hebron was divided into H1 (Palestinian Authority controlled area) and H2 (Israeli controlled area; click on map above). The Old City of Hebron and the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, which is sacred to both Muslims and Jews, are located within H2. Roughly 500 Jewish Israeli settlers, who are protected by 1,500 Israeli soldiers, live in four settlements within the Old City and of the 169 Palestinian families that lived in Old City prior to the 2nd Intifada only 10% remain. The presence of settlers has lead to strict security measures, including the closing of shops and creation of "buffer zones." Before September 2000, there were 1,610 Palestinian shops in and around the Old City; however, 650 of these shops were closed by military order and 700 others closed due to a reduction in business. Only 10% of the remaining shops are functional. Furthermore, eight out of ten of the adults remaining in city are unemployed and 75% of the population live below the poverty line.

The physical and atmospheric changes when entering the Old City near the settlement of Beit Hadassah are stunning. Within 20 meters of entering the Old City you go from an energized and vibrant market atmosphere to almost nothing but closed storefronts. Wire netting hangs above the street running next to the settlements to protect Palestinians from debris thrown by the settlers, including rocks, garbage, and feces (see slideshow). We visited a family living directly adjacent to the Avraham Avinu settlement and whose rooftop overlooks Al-Shuhada St., which used to be the main road in the Old City and is now completely closed off to Palestinian pedestrian and vehicular travel. During the 2nd Intifada, several settlers entered a room in the home through a window while the Palestinian owners were present, doused the room in gasoline, and proceeded to burn it down (see slideshow). The woman whose home we were visiting was pregnant at the time and had a miscarriage due to carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire. On a second occasion, she had a child die during birthing because she was not allowed to pass through a checkpoint to access a hospital. Many Palestinians, not just those in Hebron, share similar heart-wrenching stories, yet all Palestinians share a life under occupation.

If you have not had the opportunity, please read my blogs (4) from April 2008 where I share my previous experiences with both Palestinians and settlers in Hebron. I also have included a series of photos from the old cities of Nablus, Jerusalem, and Hebron in the slideshow on the right. Click on one photo, and you will have access to the complete album.