Rights group urges IDF to end curfew in Hebron, as it applies only to Palestinians

Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief

Border Police chief Amir Cohen (center) visiting the West Bank city of Hebron, March 31, 2023. (Border Police)
Border Police chief Amir Cohen (center) visiting the West Bank city of Hebron, March 31, 2023. (Border Police)

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel has sent a legal correspondence to the IDF’s Central Command urging the army to remove the curfew it has imposed exclusively on Palestinians — and not on settlers — in the West Bank city of Hebron since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

Palestinian residents in the H2 area of Hebron, encompassing hundreds of families, are only allowed to leave their homes on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, for a total of six hours per week.

“Individuals from the Jewish settlements [in H2] take advantage of the forced absence of Palestinians from public spaces to seize control, damage property, break into and harm homes and shops,” ACRI says in a statement.

“Palestinian activities in the city are completely suspended. There is no trade or education, residents cannot go to work, receive medical treatment or visit family members. Even obtaining food, medicine, or water has become an almost impossible task,” the statement adds.

Most Popular