What hope for Hebron?

With attacks on Palestinians by settlers commonplace, the last thing Hebron needs is the removal of international observers

Seth Freedman
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 14 January 2010

"The situation is getting worse here," says Zleikha Muhtaseb, the principal of a Palestinian kindergarten in Hebron's old city. "After the intifada calmed down, we thought things were improving, but now it's getting worse again: roadblocks are increasing, soldiers are attacking Palestinians at checkpoints, and the settlers are becoming more violent. Day and night the settlers threaten [local Palestinians], throwing stones and trying to burn their property, in order to put more and more pressure on them."

Since the establishment of Israeli settlements in Hebron, life has never been easy for the Palestinian residents, who have felt the full force of the occupation come down on their city and stifle the area both economically and socially. In the once-heaving souk, fewer than 10% of the shops are now open for business, with scores forcibly closed by the army for "security reasons". Anti-Arab slogans are sprayed on shutters throughout the old city, and the windows and doors of Palestinian homes are shielded by metal mesh to try to prevent attacks by settlers.

In the initially euphoric wake of the Oslo Accords, Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to station a force of international observers, called TIPH, in Hebron "to monitor the situation ... and record breaches of international law". Despite their ostensibly toothless directive – they are not allowed to intervene when they witness to a crime, nor are they free to publish their findings without prior consent from Israeli officials – many Palestinians have come to view TIPH as a vital tool in their struggle for justice in a largely lawless city. "When TIPH are present, the soldiers feel more responsible for their actions," explains Muhtaseb. "If no one is watching, violence from the soldiers and settlers will increase.".

TIPH has been ever-present in Hebron since its establishment in 1997, but its days may be numbered. Israel's deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, warned that TIPH's mandate might not be renewed when it expires at the end of the month. "They are exceeding their mandate," Ayalon said in the Israeli press......

While TIPH's work is at best palliative rather than having any serious impact on resolving the tensions in Hebron, forcibly evicting it would nonetheless deal a serious blow to any Palestinian hopes that their Israeli counterparts might be open to negotiation. The decision taken later this month will be a critical one not only for the beleaguered residents of Hebron, but for the region as a whole."