Hebron (By: Jacob)

When we were in Israel, we went on a tour of Hebron, in the West Bank. The West Bank is an area owned by the Palestinian Authority. There is a lot of ongoing conflict between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government, about the land they get to own. One of the places  where they are fighting over is Hebron. The reason why we went on the tour was to better understand the conflict from both sides of the story. Even though it was an Israeli company tour, the guy leading us couldn't stress enough about listening to both sides of the story. 

The first half of the day was spent hearing the "Palestinian Narrative." The Palestinian people think it should be their land and there shouldn't be Jews living in Hebron. 

The Palestinians don't like how how 97% of the land is theirs, but there are still Israeli solders in guard towers, watching them. The Palestinians think they are treated badly by the Jews (who they call settlers) who live in Hebron.  For example, they say that the settlers throw trash on them and in the marketplace. They showed us the trash in nets above the marketplace, but there was one weird thing about it -  the trash looks really old, so I wasn't sure if they constantly throw it, or if it has been there a while and the Palestinians are trying to prove a point.  

Another example is that we met a family who said that some Jews threw snakes into their window. They kept the snakes in bottles to prove it, but it still seemed a little weird.

The second half of the day was spent hearing the "Jewish Narrative." The Jews also believe it should be their land because Abraham was buried there, and it is part of the State of Israel. Also, they believe it was their land, until there was a massive massacre in 1929, and that they should get the land and buildings back that belonged to their recent ancestors.  The Jews think it is not fair how they are only allowed in 3%, but the Palestinian people are allowed almost everywhere. 

 In the past, this has led to some terrorist attacks.  The Jews also think they get treated badly by the Palestinian people who live there. For example, one time a sniper shot a father and his 1 year old daughter, sadly the baby died. Another example, is when we were talking with a Jewish lady, she told us about how her father was murdered when someone jumped through their window and killed him.  Because of the problems on both sides, they have had to separate the Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs that is there into a Jewish side and a Palestinian side.  They have also closed down the street where the Jews live to Palestinians so there won't be any more attacks.

Through out both parts of the day, I was thinking about my narrative.  When I look back at it I feel like I was a little biased because I didn't come in to the Palestinian narrative with as open a mind as I should have. For example, the reason why I feel that way is because I was focusing more on what they did wrong. I also feel like both sides of every story have been changed over time to make it sound like the other side is bigger and meaner then it actually is. I believe that before making your choice listen to both sides of the story, even after both sides have been said the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.

If I could change one thing about the tour itself, I would allow for more time spent asking questions to the Palestinian and the Jews who live there. I wouldn't want to live in Hebron because I wouldn't want to endanger my life and my family's life, but I understand now why the people who live there choose to live there.  I had a great time at Hebron, I highly recommend going to Hebron to learn about the conflict and what it is like to live there.  

This is a picture of me at the Tomb of Jacob!