Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily met on the 14th of March in Hebron’s Old City with members from the Political and Security Committee (PSC) at the Council of the European Union. The Committee is in charge of Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) issues, including Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP). It keeps track of the international situation and helps to define EU policies within the CFSP and CSDP.
Osaily received the delegation at the Old City entrance leading to Al Kassabeh neighborhood. He welcomed his guests, underlined the importance of their visit and thanked them for their presence and interest in local conditions caused by Israeli occupation practices, settler presence in the heart of Hebron and the division of the city into two parts, one of which remains under Israeli occupation control.

The delegation then toured Al Kassabeh and was briefed by Osaily on settler aggressions against Palestinians in the Old City and security measures imposed by occupation forces, including the closure of all entry points leading to the Old City except for one such point where Palestinians have to go through electronic gates, undergo searches and wait for extended periods of time in an area turned into a garrison town under the pretext of ensuring the safety and security of a group of settlers living in outposts in Palestinian homes expropriated by force in the Old City.

The delegation then visited Al Ibrahimi Mosque and witnessed the searches and other provocative measures taken against Palestinian worshippers, as well as the crying violations of all international laws and treaties which guarantee the freedom of religion and human dignity, both of which are lacking around Al Ibrahimi mosque. Once inside the Mosque, Osaily spoke in detail about the massacre committed in 1994 by Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler who took the lives of 29 Palestinian worshippers and wounded more than 300 others. This massacre, he said, lead to the division of Al Ibrahimi Mosque, which is a purely Muslim shrine, with the biggest part given to settlers, while the mosque itself was closed down for about 9 months and new security measures were imposed against Palestinians. These measures included the closing down of the Central Fruit and Vegetable Market as well as of main streets and shops by virtue of Military Orders. Policies were also implemented to empty the Old City and areas around Al Ibrahimi Mosque of their Palestinian dwellers.

The delegation then visited Al Sahla area and Al Shuhada Street which was closed in the aftermath of the massacre and remains closed despite a court ruling calling for its re-opening in line with internationally sponsored agreements between Palestinians and Israelis. However, the Military Order is still preventing Palestinians from using the street which only settlers and soldiers are allowed to use.

At the end of the meeting, Osaily underlined the importance of this visit. “What delegation members have seen shall help them support Palestinian rights and made them more aware of the Palestinian narrative on the ground. This shall help correct a few misconceptions and fabricated information disseminated by Israeli media and European pro-Israeli media”, he said. Osaily called upon the delegation to play a bigger political role vis-a-vis Palestinians that exceeds providing financial and technical support. He also called upon them to support the Palestinian leadership’s bid at the UN and to pressure Israel to stop settlement activity as well as attempts to judaize Jerusalem and chase away its Palestinian population just as is the case in Hebron and its Old City in particular. He urged delegation members to shoulder their responsibilities towards aggressions committed in the oPt against human beings, land, history and heritage, and invited them to support Palestinian site nominations for inscription on Unesco’s World Heritage List. “These sites deserve to be part of that List given their very rich history that goes back thousands of years. International organizations must also work to protect heritage in the oPt and prevent its daily alteration and violation by the Israeli government and settlers”, he added.

Delegation members declined to talk to the media. They affirmed that they are examining conditions in the oPt on the ground and carefully listening to what Palestinians have to say about their political, security and economic conditions.