As Hebron remains at the center of violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli rights group B’Tselem has condemned Israeli actions there as immoral and awful. At least 22 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the Hebron district since the beginning of October, the majority after allegedly attempting attacks on Israelis. Following documentation of restrictions placed in the area by Israeli forces since the increase in violence, B’Tselem said that the moves protect Israeli settlers in the area while punishing the greater Palestinian public.

A checkpoint inside the city of Hebron (Photo: B’Tselem)

The group said that new restrictions placed by Israeli forces on Palestinians in the Hebron area fall in line with an old Israeli policy based on the “principle of separation.” The policy is in effect a physical and legal segregation between Israeli settlers living illegally in the area and protected by the Israeli military, and the Palestinian majority, B’Tselem said. While the Israeli army has pledged to “continue to allow as normal a fabric of life as possible for all residents,” B’Tselem said the statement was “a far cry from reality.” “There has been no ‘normal fabric of life’ in Hebron for many days, and the measures taken in the name of security are draconian and not dictated by reality,” the group said. “These steps constitute collective punishment of residents of Hebron who are suspected of nothing and are forced to suffer serious disruptions in their daily lives,” B’Tselem said.