HEBRON,one of the largest cities in the West Bank is located south of Jerusalem and is home to over 150,000 Palestinians and more than 800 Jewish Israelis. Disputes over who "owns" Hebron centers around Biblical stories and is a holy site for Jews, Christians and Muslims. It plays an important part in the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. It is divided into districts--H1, H2 --and in H2 where at least 30,000 Palestinians live together wih approximately 800 Jewish settlers, the Palestinians have very little freedom of movement enforced by the Israel Defense Force. There are many reports of being unable to get to medical care in time because of the restrictions on the movement of Palestinians.
As a result of these restrictions and the harrassment by the Jewish settlers, about 1/2 of the shops in H2 have closed.
This photo essay focuses on one particularly despicable means of harrassment of these shops. Many settlers live in apartments built on top of the market. They throw their garbage, bricks and stones out of the window onto the shops.
