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The Death of Jacob:
29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32[o] ” The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.
33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people. (Genesis 49: 29-33)
The Tomb of the Patriarchs aka the Ibrahimi Mosque
Mamre was the ancient name for Hebron and this is the Biblical reference to the Cave of Machpela, which is the burial chamber of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob along with Sarah, Rebecca and Leah), located underground directly below the tomb complex.
The Book of Zohar, the main source of Jewish Kabbalistic mysticism, regards the cave as the threshold to the Garden of Eden, and the place where Adam buried Eve, and was later buried himself.
At the Gutnick Center in the Jewish part of the old city of Hebron, we meet Noam Arnon, a leader of the Jewish settler community. Noam is middle aged and personable. He is dressed casually in a light blue shirt, black pants, kipa on his head and key ring dangling from a pocket.
Noam tells us about the history of Tomb of the Patriarchs or the Cave of Machpela, regarded as the roots of the Jewish people, if not all mankind. He hands out books about the ancient holy site that he has helped write.
Noam says that a small community of Jews had been living in Hebron in an unbroken chain for two thousand years. Their relations with their Arab neighbors were for the most part cordial until the Hebron massacre (during the British Mandate period) in 1929, when 67 Jews out of a community of about 500, were murdered by Arabs answering the call of the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husaini.
The British police did nothing to protect the Jews. About 40 Arabs saved the Jews.
The Jews left Hebron and returned in 1968, the year after Hebron was “liberated” by Israel (from Jordan) in the Six-Day War . A group of Jews rented the main hotel in Hebron and then refused to leave. After more than a year and a half of agitation and a bloody Arab attack on the Hebron settlers, the Israeli government agreed to allow the group to establish a settlement on the outskirts of the city, Kiryat Arba, now the home of 1500 Jewish families. Another 80 families live in the old city of Hebron.
Noam is upset about the discrimination against the Jews in that they are “not yet” allowed to build/purchase property anywhere they like in the West Bank town of Hebron, whereas there are no such restrictions on the Arabs.
From the Gutnick Center we walk over to the Tomb of the Patriarchs compound and Noam continues his talk:
” This site is as old as the story of Abraham, which happened 4000 years ago. The present structure was first added by King Herod about 2000 years ago in 30 BCE. Only Jews lived here 2000 years ago so the original structure itself was built by Jews. ” Noam points out the visible differences in the old parts of the outside wall of the compound, and the later construction added by Muslims.
“During 1267-1967, for 700 years, the Mameluks and Turks denied the rights of Jews and Christians to enter the holy site. Jews were not permitted to ascend beyond the seventh step outside the walls, and that’s where they stood and prayed.”
Despite huge resistance and harassment by Arabs, the present Jewish community in Hebron is simply carrying on the work of the Jews who lived here in an unbroken chain, for thousands of years. Hebron timeline .
“We just want to live normal lives”, says Noam.
Noam (left) motions towards the Arab hawkers, straddling the barrier to the Jewish part of the old city
“Things were different before 1994”, says Noam, “People moved about freely. You could go to your Arab mechanic in Bethlehem, and your Jewish dentist in Tel Aviv.”
All that changed in 1994 with the Purim incident. The Tombs of the Patriarchs complex was partitioned with Muslims granted 82% of the area and Jews 18%. Noam leads us to the Jewish synagogue. Security is very tight.
Muslims are not allowed in the Jewish section, and Jews are not allowed in the Muslim section. Last year our daughter Mariam’s entire student group was asked to leave when she publicly declared that she was a Muslim by covering her hair. We have been briefed to say that we are Christian. It feels very uncomfortable but we do. The men all have to wear paper kipas. We go inside.
Entering the Synagogue
In the main hall of the synagogue
The Arabic calligraphy is intact around Sarah's Tomb
Abraham's tomb. The Hebrew inscription reads, "The Grave of Zion. Avraham, our Father"
The Hebrew inscription reads, "The Grave of Zion, Sarah, our Mother"
I am named after Sarah, the wife of Abraham. It feels strange to behold my tomb.
We walk out and pass the Yeshiva students in orthodox Jewish garb, poring over their religious texts. I look closely and am amused to see that one young student has fallen asleep, bent over his books.
Security is even tougher on the Muslim (Ibrahimi Mosque) side of the complex. Now it’s the Jewish group members’ turn to be embarrassed and uncomfortable. They have to lie and say they are Christian.
Security gate on the mosque side
Once we enter, Amjad from the Waqf (the Trust that manages the mosque), scurries behind us. He personally starts putting long hooded robes on all the ladies in our group, even though we are all capable of dressing ourselves, and everyone is modestly dressed anyway. This is even more embarrassing.
We tell him that we would like to offer prayers. “Six minutes, six minutes only!” he says, hurrying us.
Trying to establish a supersonic spiritual connection with God keeping in view the “six minute” deadline, Athar and I scramble to say our prayers, really fast.
As soon as we finish Amjad starts to point out the main attractions of the site, from the Muslim side:
Abraham, or Ibrahim's Tomb from the Muslim side
Lamb aperture, directly above the burial cave, where four lights burn for the Patriarchs
Here is my tomb again, from the Muslim side
Main prayer hall with decoartive 'mimbar' or pedestal for the imam
Amjad finishes his quick tour and demands donations for the mosque. Athar and I put our donation in the box. Daniel gives his donation directly to Amjad, and he slips it into his pocket as soon as Daniel turns away.
Noam joins up with us once more outside the complex, and takes us for a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter.
Again, my eyes take in the familiar, desolate landscape of shuttered shops, road blocks and barbed wire. There is no restoration of the old city here, and no plaques thanking the donors for the restoration. The only plaques I see are those affixed on street corners, memorializing the settlers who died in that spot, from sniper fire.
The terribly high cost of providing security to this tiny community of 500 settlers becomes clear:
Shuttered shops barbed wire blocks alleys
Barbed wire separates Arabs from Jews
Not a single shop on this street was open
The plaque reads: In Memory of Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhak Shapira, murdered at this site by an Arab terrorist, September 23, 2002
Another concrete roadblock reinforced with barbed wire
Security surveillance camera above Jewish apartments
Kids playground in the Jewish section
Memorial to 10 month old Shalhevet Pass, killed in her baby carriage, by Arab sniper fire. Her father was injured by the same bullet.
Since the outbreak of the Al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000 – which marked the beginning of the most recent upsurge in violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – at least 954 Palestinian and 123 Israeli children under the age of 18 have been killed, according to B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights monitoring group. According to a MIFTAH report between September 28, 2000 and September 30, 2008 999 Palestinian children and 123 Israeli children were killed. These figures include 32 Palestinian babies stillborn at checkpoints (not included by B’Tselem). Children and minors in the conflict
This historic old synagogue which was functioning until 1929, was razed and used as an animal pen until 1967. Now it has been rebuilt by the settlers.
These valuable old Torah scrolls were hidden and somehow saved during the 1929 massacre, and have been miraculously returned to the old synagogue.
Beautiful Torah Scrolls, old and new
Street murals depicting the 1929 massacre of 67 Jews in Hebron
This used to be the wholesale vegetable market, which the settlers converted into living quarters. The Israeli government forced them out, and Noam was upset about that
Though we did not get to ride it, this decorated cart is perhaps used to provide transportation to tourists?
Hebrom museum memorializing the 1929 massacre of Jews, with a section dedicated to Hajj Amin el Hussaini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem
Pictures of the 67 Jews who were killed in the massacre
David Wilder, the community PR person and spokesman and our guide at the museum
Sign demanding the return of land stolen by Arabs from the Jews after 1929
David Wilder is the PR person for the Hebron settler community. He moved to Hebron from the United States. He has a quietly intense manner and blazing eyes. He carries a gun.
David guides through the beautiful museum memorializing the 1929 massacre. Scenes of Jewish daily life before the massacre transition to images of destruction. David reiterates that Jews have lived in Hebron in “an unbroken chain” for thousands of years and the present settlers are just carrying on the work of their predecessors who were driven out.
I raise my hand to ask a question:
“David, you feel very strongly about the rights of Jews to return to Hebron and reclaim the land that was taken away from them. What is your position on the right of return for the 700,000 Palestinians who were driven out in 1948 and prevented from returning to their homes and their land?”
David regards me with his blazing, intense eyes and declares,
” Those people left of their own accord, in a war. If they decide to leave, that’s their problem, it’s not my problem.“
Walid Abu-Halawa from the Hebron Rehabilitation committee takes us on a walking tour of downtown Hebron. Here is what he had to say, and the story of our walk in pictures:
Hebron is an ancient and historic city 5500 years old. It is the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs) where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah,Jacob and Leah are buried. The site is considered holy by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Hebron is the largest commercial and industrial city in the West Bank. The area had been under Muslim control from the twelfth century until 1967, when Israel occupied the city after its victory over Jordan in the 1967 war. Extremist Jewish settlers moved into town starting in 1968, and now there are 5 settlements in and around the city of Hebron.
The 400 settlers in downtown Hebron, together with the 1500 IDF troops deployed for their protection, have paralyzed life in the old city, reducing it to a ghost town. Settlers are allowed to carry automatic weapons. There are over 100 road blocks and closures in a 1 km area. With the closure of the main “Shuhada Street”, what used to be a 2 minute walk now has become a 12 km trip. 76.6% of the shops in the old city have either been closed by IDF military order, or forced to close due to lack of business.
The Hebron Rehabilitation Committee with help from many overseas donors has refurbished parts of the old city of Hebron. The city was selected out of 550 competitors and won the the Aga Khan award for restoration, presented by King Juan Carlos of Spain.
The old city of Hebron is ancient and full of character. We walk through narrow paved streets, covered with vaulted archways and lined with lovely buildings made of hand hewn stone. Sunlight streams into the clearings and yet the air feels cool. The city is mostly deserted, as we walk through the narrow covered alleyways , empty homes and shops everywhere, devoid of their occupants, eerily silent, sad but beautiful.
Lovely clay pottery latticework decorates ancient Hebron buildings
Sunlight filters into a "Housh" in the old city. Each family compound is called a housh and has its own entrance gate
Most of the shops in the old city were shuttered
Shopkeeper wearing the traditional Palestinian Keffiyeh
This street is covered with mesh to catch the trash that is thrown on the Arab shops by settlers in the apartments above
George asks us to support this handicrafts store whose owner has two sons in college
Restored market square with closed shops in the background
Commemorative plaques adorn many streets, identifying the donors who helped with the restoration
The Freedom Coffee Shop
Handmade ceramics workshop
Permanent road closure on a main street
Walid buys us sweets at this candy store, so famous, that it has never ever closed
Shops closed by IDF military order have their doors welded shut
Hebron sign points the direction to "Al Quds" (Jerusalem)
Colorful pickles for sale
General provisions store. The young man in the foreground was a hawker, who followed us everywhere
Checkpoint at the ibrahimi Mosque. Six entrances to the mosque are now closed and only one remains open. Worshippers are checked three times before they get into the mosque
More shuttered shops, past the checkpoint close to the mosque
Hebron Hawkers
Throughout our walk we were stalked by some very persistent young hawkers. They carried their wares in plastic bags, inexpensive souvenirs like stretchy beaded “Palestinian flag” bracelets and little hand embroidered purses. if we bought something from one, the others got upset that we didn’t buy anything from them. They hounded us wherever we went, and we didn’t know whether to be sympathetic, or annoyed.
They were not very pleasant, maybe even dangerous, yet they made me intensely sad.
One of them wore a shirt that said “Peace will come, Why not now?” The other young man, thin, with a gaunt expression, had anger and a hint of desperation in his eyes. I don’t know why they made me so sad. I wondered if they had parents, siblings, families to support. Such hawkers are very common, in fact they are all over the city streets in my native Pakistan. But it was the anger, simmering just below the surface friendliness of these Palestinian youths, that got to me.
Anger at being pushed around, being marginalized, being powerless to step out of their meager, day to day existence.
Anger that had simmered a long time, that if left unchecked, threatened to boil over, explode and consume everything around them.
A view of the Ibrahimi Mosque from a Hebron rooftop
We drive to Hebron in the morning and arrive in the bustling West Bank city to meet the mayor, Khaled Osaily.
We have been warned that visiting Hebron will be an emotionally trying experience. It is arguably the most “divided” city in the occupied territories, with huge tensions between Jewish settlers and the local Arab population.
On our bus ride there, our guide George Rishmawi entertains us with some fun facts about the city to lighten the mood. Hebron residents have a taste for camel meat. The city is famous for the best falafel.
George asks directions as our bus gets stuck in a steep Hebron alley
George also points out to us the TIPH observers wearing red armbands that say “Observer” . TIPH is a temporary international civil observer mission, whose job is to report on breaches of international law and agreements on Hebron, to their 6 constituent countries and to Israeli government and the PA.
TIPH observers are unarmed civilians
with Mayor Osaily
Mayor Khaled Osaily is gentlemanly and charming, dressed in a well-cut suit. We take turns introducing ourselves and when he hears that Athar and I are from San Diego, he points out that much of the stone and marble used at the San Diego airport came from his city, Hebron.
The mayor mentions that he will be having dinner that night in Bethlehem, with visiting US Vice President Joe Biden.
Daniel Wehrenfenig, our group leader, says that our delegation is there to be a “Voice for you”.
The mayor replies, “Be a voice not for us, but for Peace. Do whatever you can for peace.”
Mayor Osaily also points out emphatically that, “Peace means justice”.
Here are some excerpts from the mayor’s briefing:
“Hebron, at over 4000 years old, is one of the oldest cities in world. There are at least 2 cities named after Hebron in the United States. It is the largest city in the occupied West Bank with a population of about 250,000, and the entire province has about 700,000 people. The West Bank was captured by Israel from Jordan in 1967, so Hebron has been under Israeli occupation for 43 years.
In 1968, a group of radical Jews rented rooms in a Hebron hotel and refused to leave. In 1979, a few extremist settlers from Brooklyn arrived, occupied a downtown building in the middle of the night and started a settlement.
On February 25, 1994 Baruch Goldstein, an American-born Jewish physician, perpetrated the Ibrahimi mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) massacre, killing 29 Muslims kneeling at prayer and wounding another 150. The mosque was subsequently divided.
Today, there are 5 Jewish settlements in and around this West Bank city, including the largest, ‘Kiryat Arba’ which was Dr. Goldstein’s home.
The 400 or so downtown Hebron settlers, guarded by 4 times as many IDF soldiers, have turned life upside down for the residents of Hebron. Downtown Hebron with the historic Qasba or market, and the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) at its center, has become a ghost town. There are over 100 roadblocks and closures within a 1km area. Many streets have been completely closed to the Arab residents, and not even the mayor can go on those streets. 1000 apartments have been evacuated and 1819 shops have been forcibly shuttered or forced to close.
Downtown Hebron has become a ghost town.
The city has been divided into zones Hebron 1 and 2 (H1 and H2). H2 is completely under IDF control. The old city has endured curfews of up to 280 days in a year.
Shuhada Street, the main road in downtown Hebron is closed by military order, despite a high court decision revoking the closure. $3MM was given by the United States on the condition that the road be re-opened but it remains closed to this day.”
Mayor Osaily invites all peace lovers and lovers of history to join him as he recently signed an agreement 10/21/09 to give Hebron the status through UNESCO of “Heritage for Humankind”
“The Israeli government last year decided to add the Ibrahimi Mosque to their list of Jewish Heritage sites. This is as outrageous as any Muslim country, let’s say Indonesia, putting the mosque of Cordoba in Spain, on the list of its heritage sites. We want to preserve the mosque as it is. The Israeli government wants to add ceilings, and make many changes in the mosque”, says mayor Osaily.
“58% of Hebron’s population is under 18, and the youth had no infrastructure for sports or culture. We wanted to get our youth off the streets, so we built the first stadium, the first peace park, the first enclosed performance hall. We want to concentrate on culture, music and sports to bring normal life and moderation to our people.”
I ask the mayor why the local population cannot peacefully coexist with the Jewish settlers.
“We are ready to coexist with normal people”, he replies, “Normal people, people like Avraham Burg, former Speaker of the Knesset whose mother was a Hebronite, and was saved by an Arab family during the 1929 Hebron massacre. He has a home here and we have no problem with that.
But these settlers are fanatic, they are not normal people. They are not Hebronites, they are either from Brooklyn or from Russia. They are economic settlers who receive lots of money and incentives from the Israeli government. The United States even allows 501(c)3 status for agencies to raise funds to build new Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.”
On Hebron’s economic condition, he has this to say:
“In Hebron, we face 33% unemployment, and have 3 universities producing more than 500 IT and engineering graduates annually, for whom we have no jobs.
We need foreign investment but foreign investment needs political stability and free movement of people and goods, things we cannot provide. People’s movement is severely restricted. Hundreds of people die at checkpoints with heart attacks, hundreds of women at checkpoints give birth in private cars. There are not enough hospitals to serve the population.”
Daniel asks the mayor what he thinks about the announcement that a fountain in Ramallah will be named after a suicide bomber.
Frustration is evident in his voice as the mayor says, “Don’t get all stirred up over these small inflammatory acts. Dr. Goldstein’s grave is a shrine too. Hundreds of people visit Baruch Goldstein’s tomb every year and regards him as a hero.”
I inquire about his views on the 1929 massacre of 67 Jews in Hebron during the British Mandate period.
Mayor Osaily replies, “ It was instigated by a British agent who incited the Arabs to violence by false rumors that Jews were massacring Arabs in Jerusalem and seizing control of Muslim holy places.”
He points out that during the massacre, a majority of the Jews (over 400) were saved from the mob by their Arab neighbors.
Little boy on a Hebron street. He was afraid and did not accept the small gifts we tried to give him
Boys returning from school
We saw a lot of small children standing or playing in the streets
Bathroom queue at the Hebron Rehabilitation Center
In the evening we drive to the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Arab East Jerusalem for dinner with Adnan Husseini, the city’s Arab governor. Adnan is an imposing personality and comes from the famous Husseini (aka Al-Husayni) clan with many members who participated in the Palestinian national movement.(more info about the clan). Adnan is also the director of PASSIA(The Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs)
Larry Kugelman listens attentively as Adnan Husseini talks
The conversation revolves around East Jerusalem.
The territory, which has some of the holiest religious sites for Jews, Christians and Muslims, had been in some form of Islamic control since the twelfth century. East Jerusalem was captured by Israel from Jordan in 1967 and annexed, a move not recognized by the international community (including the United States).
Since 1967, the Arab population of East Jerusalem has grown from 50,000 to 300,000. East Jerusalem was the proposed capital of the Palestinian state in the two-state solution per the Oslo Accords. In any future peace deal, Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as a part of the Palestinian state. Here are some maps, then and now:
Jerusalem 1948-1967
However, since it annexed the area, Israel has redrawn the boundaries of the Jerusalem municipality and established a string of Jewish neighborhoods in “occupied” East Jerusalem. Continued expansion of Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem seems to be the policy of the government to this day. Per PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent statement “Building in East Jerusalem is no different that building in Tel Aviv”.
Greater Jerusalem 2001
Arab East Jerusalemites are not Israeli citizens. They have Israeli issued East Jerusalem residence permits but Jordanian passports. They do not vote in Israeli national elections but vote in the local Jerusalem municipality elections. Per Adnan, “Arab East Jerusalemites pay the same taxes but don’t receive close to the level of services received by their Jewish neighbors”.
The Israeli government has pursued a policy of steady Judaization of East Jerusalem, using the following means, among others:
- Not issuing building permits to accommodate the growing population of Arab East Jerusalem. It takes decades to get a permit if one is even ever issued, which forces the residents to build illegally. According to Adnan, 20,000 of the 50,000 home in Arab East Jerusalem are “illegal”.
- Selective enforcement of building laws on Arab East Jerusalemites with evictions and home demolitions. Recently, this has been an acute issue in the Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods around the old city, with 28 homes in Sheikh Jarrah served eviction notices, 4 already evicted and 6 in court. The evicted families were camping in tents on the street for many days, from where they were again driven out. One family facing eviction received a visit from the Assisstant Mayor, who informed them that once they were evicted, his offices would be located in their home. Per Adnan, the Palestinian Authority paid $20MM to the municipality in the 4 years of 2001-2005 alone, to delay demolitions. Read 19 year old Israeli activist Sahar Vardi’s article in Ha’aretz 3/16/10.
- Canceling residence permits of Arab East Jerusalemites who leave the area, preventing their return. The pace of this activity has accelerated significantly in recent years. 4500 residence permits belonging to Arab East Jerusalemites were canceled in the period 1967-2007 and the same number, were canceled in 2008-2009 alone.
Read what Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem says about East Jerusalem
Salah-ad-Din Street in East Jerusalem. The Arabic sign says "The Muslim Leader who freed Jerusalem from the Crusaders 1157 AD"
On July 30, 1980 Israel reaffirmed its 1967 de facto annexation and declared Jerusalem the eternal undivided capital of Israel through its Basic Law on Jerusalem. Constituting a grave violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, it was condemned by United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 (August 20, 1980), which declared that:
“All legislative and administrative measures and actions taken by Israel, the occupying power, which alter or purport to alter the character or status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and in particular, the recent Basic Law on Jerusalem, are null and void, and must be rescinded forthwith.”
The resolution was passed with 14 votes to none against, with the United States abstaining.
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