Hebron's Slow Strangulation: When 'Security' Becomes Economic Warfare
📰 THE STORY: The New Arab reports that Israeli raids and restrictions are devastating Hebron's economy, particularly its southern industrial zone, leading to significant losses for farms and factories and cutting off access to vital land and resources for Palestinians. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The current 'restrictions' are not isolated incidents but part of a
systematic plan of de-development and territorial control that began immediately after the 1967 occupation. The 1994 Hebron Protocol, following the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre by Baruch Goldstein, formalized the city's division into H1 (Palestinian control) and H2 (Israeli military control), turning the old city's economic heart into a militarized zone. This division ensured that Israeli settlers,
numbering a few hundred, could effectively choke off a city of hundreds of thousands, a process documented by NGOs for decades. Double Standard: Imagine any sovereign industrial zone in a US or European city being routinely raided, its workers denied access, its goods seized, and residents subjected to settler violence with impunity, all under the guise of 'security.' The international outcry
would be deafening, sanctions swift, and condemnations universal. Yet, when Israel's government implements such policies in Hebron, it's often framed by Western media as a complex security issue, rather than a clear violation of international law and economic human rights. Follow the Money: The economic warfare on Hebron is intrinsically linked to the expansion of settlements, which receive