CPTnet
June 9, 2004

HEBRON: Bringing new life to the Old City

by Maia Williams and Kristin Anderson

Christian Peacemaker Teams and Library on Wheels for Nonviolence and Peace
sponsored a "Festival Day for Shopping in the Old City of Hebron" on
Thursday, June 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The organizers hoped to
encourage people to "bring new life to the Old City." In order to entice
people to shop in the Old City, all shoppers during the festival were
eligible to win a new refrigerator. The sponsors plan to hold a shoppers'
day festival on the first Thursday of each month.

On Wednesday, June 2, CPT, the CPT delegation and Library on Wheels
volunteers walked to the shops from the Ibrahimi Well to the Ibrahimi Mosque
and gave the shopkeepers raffle tickets to give to purchasers who came
during the Thursday shopping festival. On Thursday, CPT and the CPT
delegation members monitored the area between the Ibrahimi Well and the
Ibrahimi Mosque and kept a tally of the number of people who entered the
festival area and the number of people who exited the festival area with
shopping bags. They noticed that Old City shops that had not been opened for
months were opened during the festival and many shopkeepers were eager to
receive another book of raffle tickets after they had already distributed
their first book. Shopkeepers spoke with CPTers and other volunteers saying
"we wish the situation would turn back to the way it used to be. Now there
are no people here. Without people, we cannot survive."

The Israeli military closed the Ibrahimi Mosque checkpoint during the
festival day, allowing no one to enter including children carrying buckets
attempting to go to the local soup kitchen. Next to the other main entrance
to the Old City, at the Beit Romano checkpoint, the Israeli military also
detained Palestinians during the festival.

The total number of people who entered the festival at Ibrahimi Well was 783
and the number of people exiting with bags from the Ibrahimi Well was 181.
Further into the festival area, at the Beit Romano checkpoint, 489 people
entered into the Old City and 168 people exited with bags in hand. Many
families came into the festival to shop and CPT observers surmised that the
actual number of purchases was higher because often one family member
carried the bags for all the purchases made by the family.

CPT and Library on Wheels will hold the drawing for the new refrigerator on
Monday, June 7 in the Freedom Park in the Old City.

CPT and Library on Wheels plan to arrange another shopping festival day on
Thursday July 1. The organizers hope that more people will hear about the
shopping festival and become motivated to support renewed life in the Old
City.