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Palestine Atlas

Hebron

Basic Information

Type
City
Governorate
Hebron
Region
West Bank - Southern

Overview

Hebron (Al-Khalil) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a history spanning over 3,000 years. It is considered holy to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as the burial place of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their wives Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah. Since 1967, Hebron has been subjected to one of the most extreme regimes of settler colonialism in the occupied West Bank. The city was divided into H1 (Palestinian-controlled, ~80%) and H2 (Israeli military-controlled, ~20%) under the 1997 Hebron Protocol. H2 includes the entire Old City, the Ibrahimi Mosque, and Al-Shuhada Street — formerly the city's main commercial artery. Approximately 500-850 Israeli settlers live in H2, protected by thousands of Israeli soldiers, while 40,000+ Palestinians live under a regime of military lockdown, movement restrictions, and systematic harassment. This is not coexistence — it is apartheid within a single city. The Old City contains magnificent Mamluk and Ottoman architecture, though large sections have been shuttered due to Israeli restrictions and settler presence. Over 1,829 shops have been closed and 1,000+ homes abandoned in H2, transforming what was once the vibrant heart of southern Palestine into a militarized ghost town.

Historical Significance

One of the four holy cities in Judaism; traditional burial site of the Patriarchs (al-Khalil means 'Friend of God,' referring to Abraham). The Ibrahimi Mosque/Cave of Machpelah has been a place of worship for over 2,000 years. Hebron was a major Canaanite city-state and later an important center during Israelite, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Crusader, Mamluk, Ottoman, and British periods. Since 1967, Hebron has become the starkest example of Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank — where a few hundred settlers control the city center with military backing, displacing thousands of Palestinian residents and destroying the city's economic and social fabric. The city stands as a symbol of Palestinian sumud (steadfastness) in the face of systematic dispossession.

Sources and record limitations

Source detail varies by record. Some entries include document and page references; others supply source names only. Check the cited material and the record's limitations before relying on a specific claim.

  • PCBS (Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics)
  • UN OCHA - occupied Palestinian territory
  • UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  • B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
  • Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC)
  • Breaking the Silence (Israeli soldier testimonies)
  • Youth Against Settlements
  • ARIJ (Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem)
  • UNISPAL - United Nations Information System on Palestine

Hebron represents the most extreme case of Israeli settlement policy in the West Bank. The H1/H2 division is not an administrative arrangement — it is a military occupation of the city center that has systematically destroyed Palestinian economic, social, and cultural life. Over 1,800 shops closed, 1,000+ homes abandoned, and 6,000+ Palestinians forcibly transferred from the Old City. Population figures for Hebron city vary by source due to different methodologies and the H1/H2 division.