Temporary International Presence in the City of Hebron

TIPH is a civilian observer mission in the West Bank city of Hebron. TIPH reports on breaches of the agreements on Hebron and human rights law, and presents its findings to the member countries and to the Palestinian and Israeli authorities.

 
 

A brief history

The Holy Site seen from the South.
The Holy Site seen from the South.
Hebron is a holy city for the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. It is also known as the city of the Patriarchs. Abraham is believed to have lived in Hebron around 1800 BC. Both his and his wife Sarah’s graves are found under the Ibrahimi Mosque / Cave of Machpela in the old town of Hebron.

Since the 16th century there was a Jewish community in Hebron, living side by side with the Palestinians. In August 1929, during the British mandate period, 67 of the city’s Jewish population were massacred. The British police evacuated the surviving Jewish population.

After the war of 1948, Hebron came under Jordanian rule which lasted until the war of 1967 when Hebron was occupied by the Israeli army.

Since 1968 there is a Jewish settler community in Hebron. Today approximately 500 settlers live in different settlements in the old city centre and another 7000 live in bigger settlements on the outskirts of the city.

Today Hebron is the largest industrial city in the West Bank with over 170 000 inhabitants.

Since TIPH was agreed upon, following the massacre of 1994, the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and in the region has deteriorated significantly. Several points in the agreements of 1997 have been breached since the first signing of the documents. Also the work of TIPH has been interfered with in different ways during the years.

In the Oslo agreement the city was divided in two areas: Area H1 was controlled by the Palestinians and area H2 controlled by the Israelis.

Israeli Army watchtower in Jabal Al-Rahme area in central Hebron.Violence escalated in the city during the second Intifada, with daily clashes and attacks from both Palestinian and Israeli sides. In April 2002 IDF took full control of the entire city. Permanent watchtowers were constructed in area H1 in 2005. Since then the Israeli army operates over the entire area in violation of the agreements.

More than 100 roadblocks, fences, walls and checkpoints are put up in the city center around the settlements and the access roads to them. This separates the Jewish settlers and the Palestinian residents. Furthermore it severely hampers the freedom of movement.

Due to the restrictions and violence surrounding the settlements as well as prolonged curfews, large areas of the old city are deserted. Several main shopping streets are closed by military order.