Day Trip to al-Khalil/Hebron

Today the campers traveled to Hebron, a major flashpoint in the Zionist occupation of Palestine. On the way to the city, they witnessed the increase in settlement activity and the presence of occupation soldiers and infrastructure. The first stop in the city was to the Ibrahimi Mosque, where they learned about past Zionist terrorist activity in the mosque, which rendered 60% of it under Zionist control and the remaining 40% to Palestinians, albeit under Israeli control and surveillance.

Following the visit to Ibrahimi Mosque, the campers walked to the entrance of Shuhada Street, the once active and lively city center now turned into a ghost town, with access given only to the city’s 500 Zionist settlers. They then walked through the Old City business district and spoke with its shop owners and inhabitants, who described how the occupation of Hebron has resulted in the closure of hundreds of shops and the displacement of numerous Palestinians from their homes. They visited a family who described the dangerous and difficult living conditions brought forth by settlers occupying part of their house.

After a solemn visit to the Old City, the campers had lunch and visited Hebron’s famous glass and ceramic factory. They got to witness workers create all sorts of ceramic and glass objects and the design and painting process that goes into them. They were able to purchase ceramic and glass goods of their own. Next, the campers visited one of Palestine’s last remaining Keffiyeh/Hatta (traditional Palestinian scarf) factories. They witnessed the design and production process that goes into the scarves and other traditional textile goods, afterwards purchasing keffiyehs of their own.

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