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Hebron
From Wikitravel
Hebron is an ancient city in the southern West Bank. It is mentioned in the Bible as the home of Abraham, and the burial place of him and several generations of his family. In King David's time, Hebron was briefly the capital of the Israelite state, before the capital moved to Jerusalem. Today, Hebron is holy to both Muslims and Jews due to its association with Abraham.
After 1967, a few Jewish settlers went to visit Hebron for Passover, then decided not to leave. Despite the move being against Israeli law, the settlers were never forced out, and Israeli policy eventually endorsed the occupation. Today, about 500 settlers live in part of the old city of Hebron under continual IDF protection, and soldiers outnumber settlers in Hebron four to one. The remaining 166,000 residents of the surrounding city are Palestinians. The Cave of Machpelah or the Ibrahimi Mosque, Abraham's burial place and the main holy site in the city, is on the border between the Palestinian and Jewish sectors.
[edit] Get in
Easiest and most direct way is to grab bus 21 from the bus station just out and to the right from Damascus gate in Jerusalem. It will cost you about 4 NIS and tell them Hebron or Al-Khalil (Arabic) they will take you to a mid way drop off point just outside of bethlehem and from there you will be directed to a serveese (small van) that will deliver you to Hebron for another 4 NIS.
You can take the 160 bus from the Jerusalem Central Bus station to the Jewish section of Hebron. Check that it goes into Hebron and not just to the nearby Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba. It is impossible to access the Jewish section of Hebron on foot. Palestinian taxi drivers are not allowed into the Jewish section, so you will need to travel there from an Israeli town or a Jewish settlement. (This is not entirely true. Internationals can but if your driver is Palestinian, then your vehicle cannot. Hence, avoid this mess, take the Palestinian route above)
If you want to access major metropolitan Hebron, you can take a servees taxi from the bus stations in Ramallah or Bethlehem. If you are coming from Jerusalem, you can also take the bus to Abu Dis and tell the bus driver you are going to Khalil
The by far easiest and cheapest way to get to Hebron from Jerusalem is to take a so-called Service-Taxi to Betlehem, then ask the driver where to take another Service-Taxi to Hebron. Total cost for oneway trip to Hebron is around NiS 15 (4 USDollar).
[edit] Get around
[edit][add listing] See
- The Cave of Machpelah or Ibrahimi Mosque is the main religious site in the city. The cave itself is deep underground, and now people pray in a building on top of it, which was built by King Herod about 2000 years ago.
Most of the time, half of the building is used for Muslim and half for Jewish prayer. On a few predetermined days each year, each religion gets to use the entire building. For the Jews, in addition to the normal holidays, one of these days is "Shabbat Chayei Sarah" each fall, on which thousands of people from all of Israel visit Hebron to commemorate Abraham's purchase of the Cave from its previous Hittite owners.
[edit][add listing] Do
- A group of former Israeli soldiers who've served in Hebron called Breaking the Silence offers tours of Hebron that explain the harsh political situation of the city. Tours leave from Binyanei Hauma near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. Visit their website to find out when the next tour is and how to schedule one. [1]
- You can also hire one of many young folks around (most men) to give you a tour. Agree on a price before hand.
- Show up on Saturday afternoons around 3:30pm in the Old City and watch the settler tourist groups get shuttled through the old city under armed guard.
- Shop in the Old City. These shops are under the most threat from the occupying army.
[edit][add listing] Buy
- The Hebron Glass Factory in the northern part of the city sells blown glass which Hebron is famous for, at very reasonable prices.
- Purchasing items in the Old City district of the city (near the Ibrahimi Mosque) is a great way to support the most threatened shopkeepers in the city. Daily people who live and work in this area of the city are harassed by the Israeli military and police that patrol the district.
[edit][add listing] Eat
Buy some tabun (large, soft, round) bread in Bab il Zaweya and pick up a container of hummus near by and you are set.
[edit][add listing] Drink
- Orange and pomegranate near the gate to the most in the Old City is stellar. It runs about 2 NIS.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
[edit] Get out
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