People Without Names and Homes Like Cages: Al-Shuhada Street in Hebron as a Model for What Awaits the West Bank
The article discusses the harsh living conditions of Palestinians in Hebron's Old City amidst increasing Israeli settlement encroachment.
The article highlights the devastating reality for Palestinians in the Old City of Hebron, where historic homes are being transformed into cages due to the oppressive Israeli settlement expansions. The discussion includes personal accounts, such as that of elderly resident Zuleikha Al-Muhtasib, who has turned her balcony into a fortified space to protect herself from the threats posed by settlers, reflecting an everyday struggle against the erasure of Palestinian presence in their ancestral lands. Other residents, like Muwaffaq Al-Sharbaty, share similar grievances, navigating longer routes through their neighborhood because of military checkpoints, illustrating the daily disruptions and dangers they face.
Through the lens of Al Jazeera's program "Al-Marsad," the article underscores the systemic violence against the Palestinian population in Hebron, not only in terms of physical space but also in the erasure of identity, as people are reduced to numbers in military databases. This chilling transformation poses severe implications for the future of the West Bank, suggesting a bleak outlook for its inhabitants as existing tensions escalate with ongoing settlement activities. The imagery of homes resembling cages serves as a stark metaphor for the confinement and oppression experienced by the community, amplifying calls for recognition and global awareness of their plight.