On the first of April, a group of settlers seized four commercial shops in the Old City of Hebron city in the West Bank.
The Owners of the commercial shops said that the settlers together with personnel from the so- called Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank and occupation soldiers stormed to the clothes and vegetables market of the old Suq (market place) in the heart of the old city. They broke the four doors of the four shops and they started to renovate them for their own use. Below are the names of the shops' owners:
- Husam As'ad Hasan Bader
- Hasan As'ad Hasan Bader
- A'zam Baha Ali Al-A'wewe
- Hatem Baha Ali Al-A'wewe
Photo 1: An Israeli army patrol walking in the Old City's streets.
Earlier vandalism attacks
It is worth mentioning that the clothes and vegetables market have been closed by Israeli military orders since the year 2000. The four shops were burned twice by the settlers who are resident of 'Abraham – Aveno' settlement in the heart of the old city, the first time on December 19th, 2004, and the second time on January 18th, 2006.
Photo 2: The iron gate which has been closing the Clothes and Vegetable Market since 2000
After each attack the Palestinian owners levied a complaint to the occupation police, but, unfortunately, the occupation police made no action against the perpetrators; On the Contrary, they gave credentials which prove the settlers' attack.
Photo 3: an Outpost for the occupation soldiers in the old city.
Cleaning of shops
Immediately after seizing the shops, the occupation soldiers prevented the owners from reaching their shops. The settlers who were accompanied with the extremist Baroukh Marzel cleaned the four shops of dust and remnants resulted from the two previous fires. The estimated area for each shop is about 40 square meters.
Hussam Bader who is one of the owners of the commercial shops said in an interview with LRC field researcher that his shop was containing goods of about 300000 ( three hundred thousands) NIS in 2004 . He was deprived from his source income. He is responsible for a family which consists of nine members. This bad situation forced him to lease a commercial shop near the Israeli soldiers' point in 'BaB al-Zawye' area, hoping to cover his family's expenses. Whereas, his brother who is responsible for his seven family members became unemployed due to his inability to lease a commercial shop.
Statistical survey
The latest attack against the commercial shops took place after the Israeli soldiers had made a statistical survey for the houses and shops in the old Suq area and around the area of ' Badran Café' in the Old City.
The owners said that when the occupation soldiers attacked their shops they took their identity cards and asked for general information such as the number of rooms in their own home, number of the family members and number of workers who depend on the shops as a main source of income.
Photo 4 some of the houses and commercial shops recently
surveyed by the occupation authorities inside the old city.
Fierce attack against the Old City:
The Old City of Hebron is facing another new settlement project whose structure started to appear obviously. However, the time at which the Israeli occupation declared its intention to re-open the martyrs' street which has been closed since the year 2000 the recent survey process occurred. This was accompanied by the settlers' attack against the commercial shops.
Obviously, the Old City of Hebron is facing a looting process:, whose components, to mention but few, are: the expulsion of the people, the building of four colonial posts, dividing of Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi and closing its internal entrances, imposition of a strict closure policy on the city according to which more than 82 different types of closures were introduced, including, checkpoints, iron gates and road blocks. Moreover, about 1000 other commercial shops out of 1600 were indefinitely closed by Israeli military orders since the year 2002.
For related case studies, please see the following:
1. Under the Pretext of Security historic buildings are targeted in Hebron's Old city, May, 2004;
2. The Judaization of Hebron’s Old City Continues Unabated, October, 2004;
4. Israeli settlers occupy a residential building in Hebron's old city, april, 2006;
5. Jailing the old city of Hebron, November, 2006;
6. Israeli Colonists' road planned over ancient historical site in Hebron's Old City, February, 2005;
7. Israeli colonists inaugurate a multi – storey residential building in Tel Rumaida inside Hebron's Old city, May, 2005;
8. Closing of a road and 60 commercial stores In Hebron, November, 2005;
9. The Segregation Wall in Hebron Governorate: An update, June, 2006;
10. Ar Rajabi building in Hebron: evacuated by settlers, occupied by soldiers, April, 2009.
Prepared by:
The Land Research Center
LRC 
