“I’ve always had the hope that Shuhada Street will be reopened to Palestinians and that we will be able to restore the shops and community life in that area,” says Abu Adam, who grew up in al-Khalil (Hebron). “My dad used to tell me stories of when he would shop from the vegetable market in the Old City. It’s hard for me to see that the life my dad experienced in his hometown, I am not going to experience. And there’s a possibility that the next generation won’t see that life either, because of the Israeli strategy of stealing land.”

On 1 December 2019, the Israeli Civil Administration informed the Hebron Municipality its intentions to demolish the old Palestinian vegetable market, located in the heart of Hebron’s Old City on Shuhada Street, and construct an Israeli settlement in its place. The Hebron Municipality stated that under instructions from the Palestinian leadership, it will exert all its efforts to protect Palestinian land and preserve the property and presence of its citizens. Ultimately, the land belongs to the Hebron Municipality. Its residents thus have a protected tenancy that prevents them from being evicted without legal grounds. Despite this, the Israeli Civil Administration is still putting pressure on the Hebron Municipality and plans to build the settlement. Continue reading.