HEBRON, West Bank /PNN/
In Hebron’s historic Old City, Palestinian residents are forced to live in near-constant fear, as settlers and Israeli soldiers carry out repeated attacks that make daily life feel like imprisonment within their own homes. Walking through the narrow streets, windows are surrounded by wire mesh and light metal fencing, installed to protect residents from live fire, stun grenades, tear gas, or to deter settlers from entering homes and attacking women, children, and the elderly.
Social activist and field coordinator Arij Abdel Karim Al-Jaabari, a resident of the Old City and mother of seven, has been working on-site since 2007. She offers a firsthand perspective of the daily hardships imposed by Israeli forces and settlers on Palestinians trying to live normal lives.
Pointing to a thin metal fence on one of the windows, Al-Jaabari explains that families install these barriers in the hope of temporary protection from bullets, tear gas, stun grenades, or stones thrown by settlers during street confrontations. She adds that settlers often prevent residents from documenting attacks or clashes, viewing photography and journalism as threats, forcing locals to rely on their mobile phones for recording events.
Since the outbreak of war on Gaza on 7 October, settler attacks have intensified. Parents fear sending their children to school, with reports of students having their bags searched and being held for hours by soldiers and settlers. Adults also face harassment when going to work or collecting necessities, frequently subjected to prolonged searches, questioning, and even physical assault. These measures, Al-Jaabari says, are intended to pressure Palestinians to abandon their homes and neighborhoods, allowing settlers to take control.
To protect their families, residents reinforce doors from the inside, place wood barriers around homes, and install wire fencing over windows to prevent entry and shield against projectiles. Despite these measures, settlers repeatedly smash windows, break doors, and attempt to enter homes, sending a message of intimidation aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Old City.
Al-Jaabari also notes that settlers often tell residents, “If you don’t like it, go to Jordan.” As a result, many Palestinians have fled parts of the Old City. Yet Al-Jaabari remains in her home, along with other families who refuse to leave, seeing their presence as a testament to Palestinian resilience. “What would we gain by leaving our homes to them?” she said. “This is a message of steadfastness against an occupation that seeks to erase our presence and Judaize Hebron’s Old City.”
This story was produced as part of the Qarib program, implemented by the French Development Agency’s media branch, CFI, in partnership with and funded by the French Agency for International Cooperation (AFD).
