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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Activism Home page  back Print  Send To friend “Dismantle the Ghetto, settlers out of Hebron” https://www.facebook.com/%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%A9- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%B9%D9%86- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%84-Hebron-Defense-committee- 122409611105095/? hc_ref=ARRqLiv8aAD5mTI_Aqx6ZcVyhlKfKIirsf4xy_nsTnVlq4ucSAT7j7yR1AhB8jnKr5U&f ref=nf&hc_location=group The campaign “Dismantle the Ghetto, take the settlers out of Hebron” is a Palestinian led initiative aiming to mobilize international solidarity groups with Palestinians from Hebron in their struggle to live in peace in their city. The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continue their strategy of pressuring Palestinians to leave their homes in Hebron city center. This pressure comes in the form of closures of neighborhoods, markets and streets. Palestinians also face military checkpoints and are subject to military law, including frequent random searches and detention, and rampant settler violence. The IOF closed the important Shuhada Street to Palestinian vehicles in 1994 following the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, and then prevented Palestinians from walking on most of it in late 2000. Their excuse is the provision of security for hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers occupying the center of Hebron. On November 1, 2015, the IOF declared the Tel Rumeida neighborhood and the part of Shuhada Street that has remained accessible to Palestinian pedestrians since the Ibrahimi mosque massacre in 1994, as a closed military zone. Palestinians who are not residents have been denied access to this part of the city. The closed military zone excludes adjacent illegal Israeli settlements. Palestinian residents were forced to register with the army, or else risk being barred from their homes. More than 500 Palestinian stores have been closed by military orders in the center of Hebron, and nearly another 1000 store owners were forced to close their shops due to restrictions in the past several years. At the same time, illegal settlers enjoy freedom of movement in the closed streets and are protected by the IOF. Inside Hebron, the occupation and its illegal settlers have turned the lives of 200,000 native Palestinians into a living hell. in addition to this, thousands have been expelled from their own homes. This campaign comes in the weeks preceding the anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque Massacre. November 25th 1994, an Israeli settler killed 29 people and wounded more than a hundred as they prayed in the mosque. During the last year, UNESCO declared Hebron as a world heritage site of Palestine. Israel responded by approving building tens of apartments for the settlers and by establishing a municipality of the settlers in Hebron. Today after the escalation on the ground by the IOF and the settlers, we believe that the Palestinians will not be able to live normally in Hebron as long as the illegal settlers are living in the city. We are focusing on Hebron as it became a microcosm of the occupation, a symbol of the settlement issue, the policy of separation in Hebron/al Khaleel and the entire West Bank, the lack of freedom of movement, and the occupation at large. If you would like to organize and be part of this campaign in your city or on your university campus please get in touch with us on: hdcpalestine@gmail.com defenders.human@gmail.com We call activists and organizations from around the world to organize solidarity activities with the Palestinians in Hebron/al Khaleel. Protests and actions of the “Dismantle the Ghetto, take the settlers out of Hebron” campaign actions will demand • Removal of all illegal Israeli settlements from Hebron. • An immediate end to collective punishment and the ‘closed military zone’ order in Tel Rumeida and Shuhada Street; • Removal of restrictions on movement throughout the Old City of Hebron; Here are some ways that you can actively get involved: Demonstrations, Marches, Vigils, Flashmobs. Links to the latest articles in this section Israeli and International Activists Join Gazan Protestors in the Great Return March Invitation to Emek Shaveh`s conference and updates Jerusalem students reserve seat for Lara Alqassem