In the first part of my reflection, I noted that historian Ilan Pappé challenged us to bring into the discourse of Israel and Palestine the words “Settler-colonialism,” “occupation” and “apartheid” and that the situation in Hebron supports the truth of these words:

Our neighbor in the old city of Hebron—where her family has lived for hundreds of years— requires a permit to live on Shuhada Street in but cannot go out of her front door.  When we walk through our neighborhood, I we see gun watchtowers and checkpoints.  On one street running near the Ibrahimi mosque, a concrete barrier divides the street in two.  The left half of the street is for Israelis and the right side is for Palestinians.  Israelis can drive on their part of the street but the Palestinian side is too narrow for cars.

Soldiers guard Palestinian house that settlers have occupied, March 2012