IDF soldier in Hebron
Photo: AP
Hebron route may be opened to Palestinians
As part of ease of restrictions in West Bank, IDF considering allowing Palestinians access to road leading from Kiryat Arba to Cave of Patriarchs, after 10 years. Jewish settlement spokesman: Our security being compromised
The Israel Defense Forces is considering opening a key route in the West Bank city of Hebron to Palestinian traffic, after it has been restricted for Jews only for the past 10 years.
The road was closed to Palestinian traffic more than 10 years ago for security reasons, due to a large number of terror attacks which took place along the route. Because only Jews have been allowed to travel on it for years, it has often been nicknamed "the apartheid route".
The road, Zion Route, leads from the Jewish community of Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Patriarchs and is parallel to Shuhasa Street, which is still closed to Palestinians.
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The Jewish settlement in Hebron responded with anger to the report. "(Defense Minister) Ehud Barak wants to set facts on the ground for the next government while compromising the residents' security and endangering human life," said the settlers' spokesman, Noam Arnon.
"If they open it, it should be for everyone, rather than apartheid against Jews. The Arabs have access to all the routes, while the Jews live here in a ghetto of 3% of the city. The injustice and discrimination here are intolerable."
The defense establishment has been trying recently to come up with ways to ease the restrictions on the Palestinian population in the West Bank. As part of the relief efforts, roadblocks have been removed in different places across the West Bank.
The plan to open Zion Route to Palestinian traffic was to be submitted Monday to the approval of Central Command chief Gadi Shamni and Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier General Noam Tibon.
The Yesh Din organization said in response, "The decrees which prevented the movement of Palestinians within the city can only be seen as decrees expressing a policy of legal and moral apartheid. It's good that they have been canceled."
Michael Ben-Ari, who will soon be sworn in as a Knesset member on behalf of the National Union party, slammed the roadblock removal policy.
"This is a security ricks and an abandonment of the Jewish settlement's residents. Barak has no authority to do so, and he is ignoring the voter's decision to send him home."
