Protest tour in Hebron

07/12/22

Even though there had been prior coordination with the authorities who were fully informed of the plan, the army decided on the morning of the tour to issue an order declaring the area a Closed Military Zone. This was a blatant attempt to prevent us from bearing witness to the daily reality of human rights violations in Hebron. The same army stands aside, “hands tied,” when thousands of settlers assault Palestinians, but is compelled to intervene when 300 citizens come to tour the city — the hypocrisy makes obvious that they are most afraid of us, of our power to bring out the bare truth of Hebron, to broadcast it beyond its barbed wire and barricades.

The activists from Breaking the Silence who were leading the tour would not give up that easy; faced with a Closed Military Zone, they did not fold. Forced to stay in the parking lot in the heart of what was once downtown, they still gave the tour, as our group of 300 gathered around to listen and learn. Issa Amro, a Palestinian activist and resident of Hebron, shared his experiences as a target of physical violence and incarceration attempts, and his day-to-day steadfastness despite Hebron’s hardships.

Because of the courageous cooperation between Breaking the Silence, Zazim, and many other organizations, we withstood the army’s attempts to shut us down and we managed to put the spotlight on the situation in Hebron and on the occupation as a whole. 

 We are in a challenging and complex moment, and the fact that our people continue to consistently step up, showing solidarity and sending support, gives me hope and enables me to keep going. So that today, too, I can act, and together, we will continue struggling for equality and justice, until - step by step - we end the occupation and walk towards a better future for us all.