It still houses many Palestinian families who must use long, convoluted routes to get to and from their homes. It used to be one of the central economic and cultural streets in the city. Shuhada Street has been closed to Palestinians since the attacks at the Ibrahimi mosque in 1994. Like all Palestinians in the city she is not allowed to walk up or down Shuhada вЂApartheidвЂ™ Street. Her front door, which leads out onto Shuhada Street, is welded shut. She moved into her house over 8 years ago. Zleikha AlmohtasebвЂ™s Story Zleikha is a teacher who lives on Shuhada Street in the Old City inside the H2 area of Hebron. The closure of Shuhada Street is a symbol of IsraelвЂ™s wider apartheid policy of separation. To this day, the street remains almost entirely closed to Palestinians, while Israeli settlers move freely. It was the center of the old cityвЂ™s commercial district before Israeli settlement projects and military rule forced its closure. Shuhada street is vital to Palestinian communal and commercial life. They are forced to undertake long detours, are barricaded inside their homes on Shuhada Street, and can only get in and out of their homes through the backdoors or rooftops. Freedom of movement in HebronвЂ™s old city is severely restricted for Palestinians. In response to the massacre, the Israeli army introduced an apartheid system of separation in Hebron, including the closure of Shuhada Street to Palestinians, effectively creating a ghost town. Februmarks 25 years since the Baruch Goldstein massacre in 1994, when Israeli settler, Baruch Goldstein, murdered 29 Palestinians participating in Ramadan Friday prayers in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron. The Israeli soldiers do not protect the Palestinian residents of Hebron, who are regularly attacked by Israeli settlers. More than 1500 Israeli combat soldiers are stationed in and around Hebron, alongside the settlers to guard their security. In addition to the large settlements of Kiryat Arba and Givat HaвЂ™avot, which are adjacent to Hebron, there are about 600 Israeli settlers living in the midst of HebronвЂ™s old city.

Settlement building in Hebron and throughout the West Bank continues to expand today, despite being recognized as illegal under international law. Since shortly after the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank in 1967, Hebron has seen the building of Israeli settlements. It is the second largest city in the West Bank after East Jerusalem and used to be the commercial center for the southern West Bank.

Hebron is one of the four holiest cities in both Judaism and Islam. You can find Youth Against Settlements on their website a t. In the United States, you can look up your elected officials at usa.gov/elected-officials. Ask them to use their influence to pressure the Israeli government to reopen Shuhada Street and implement human rights for all in Hebron. Tell them that you oppose the closure of Shuhada Street and system of separation and oppression in Hebron. YAS encourages all to call and message your representatives. YASвЂ™s coordinator, Issa Amro, has been recognized by the European Union as a Human Rights Defender. YAS is also engaged in international advocacy through the United Nations (U.N.) and other international institutions, including the United Nations Human Rights Council. YAS leads an annual Open Shuhada Street campaign, which is implemented both in Palestine and internationally.

YAS encourages the population of Hebron, especially in the old city area, to remain in their city of Hebron, despite the hardships and violence they face from settlers and military occupation. The center is used to empower and educate Palestinians, especially youth, to stand firm and use nonviolent action, media, and advocacy work to resist IsraelвЂ™s system of occupation, restriction, and separation in Hebron. It was reclaimed for Palestinian use through a nonviolent direct action and legal campaign. Formed in 2008, it maintains a youth education and meeting center located in a building that was initially occupied first by the Israeli military and later by Israeli settlers. Youth Against Settlements (YAS) is a Hebron-based nonviolent direct action group.

Detours to include settlements