15. The Old City
Hebron (H2), West Bank - Palestine
2015
Giclée print on Hahnemühle photo rag paper
60 x 42 cm
$450
5/5 edition (+ AP)
Israeli border guards block passage to a local Palestinian youth during a Jewish settler history tour through Hebron’s old city. As the site of the tomb of Prophet Abraham, a highly important figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the city is a conservative religious flashpoint in the Arab-Israel conflict.
Hebron is one of the largest Palestinian cities in the West Bank with a population of approximately 200,000. In and around Hebron's old city, there are also roughly 500 to 800 religious Jewish settlers (Israeli citizen living in the West Bank) and a brigade of the Israel Defence Force deployed to provide security. In 1997, the city was divided into areas called H1 and H2. Area H1 comprises of 80% of Hebron and is administered by the Palestinian Authority. Area H2, comprising of 20% of Hebron, is under full Israeli military and civil control and includes sections such as the old city and Abraham's burial site, the tomb of the Patriarchs.
Israeli and American zionist groups along with the inhabitants of the settlements around Hebron organise 'history tours' around the old city of Hebron in an attempt to spruik a narrative of the Hebron's history that erases the Palestinian inhabitants. These tours cause great disruption to the local community due to the closures and large number of soldiers and border guards present. During these tours, settlers have also been known to harass Palestinians and destroy their store interiors.