Since the mid-1990s, the Israeli military has imposed a policy of segregation in the center of Hebron. As part of this policy, in 2012 it built a fence along the main road of a-Salaimeh neighborhood, dividing it
lengthwise: a wide, paved section for Jews, and a narrow, rutted
pedestrian passageway for Palestinians. Subsequent to footage published
by B’Tselem, the military cancelled the separation, but then reinstated
it in 2015. In May 2017 the military extended the fence into the Gheith
neighborhood, installing a gate at its end which is arbitrarily unlocked
by Border Police. This severe injury to Hebron residents is a case of
collective punishment. It keeps residents from leading normal lives and
makes their lives intolerable. Israel thereby promote the ongoing silent
displacement of Palestinians from the center of Hebron.