Israeli soldiers on Saturday forced several Palestinian shops in the old town of Hebron (Al-Khalil) to shut down, for no apparent reason other than to forcefully empty the area of the Palestinian businesses, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Hebron’s shop owners in Shallaleh street said that Israeli soldiers forced them to shut down on Saturday, while Jewish settlers had already forced them to do so last week, under heavy army protection
Since last Tuesday, the Israeli army keep closing Palestinian shops in the Old City of Hebron as a collective punishment for the residents of the area. pic.twitter.com/lNJwLCamje
— Basel Adra (@basel_adra) January 29, 2022
They also said that Jewish settlers and Israeli soldiers have escalated their harassment of the Palestinian residents of Hebron.
According to Hebron mayor Abu Sneineh, these attempts aim at emptying the old town from its Palestinian businesses and residents to turn it into a purely Jewish quarter.
Saturday, Hebron: Settlers climb on a roof in the city and throw stones at the Palestinians below. Although they are standing *right* next to an IDF post, none of the settlers are detained. pic.twitter.com/B0naAOpHSi
— Breaking the Silence (@BtSIsrael) January 27, 2022
The shops, the mayor added, are the only source of income for these families. Therefore, closing them down would seriously hurt them, urging immediate action to prevent this from happening.
Jewish settlers illegally occupy several areas of the old town of Hebron, also known as H2, and totally controlled by the Israeli military.
(The Palestine Chronicle, WAFA, Social Media)
