Israel has given the green light for around 70 Palestinian shops in Hebron to reopen, after closing them fifteen years ago, AFP reports.
“The Israeli army’s leadership allowed the reopening of stores on Sahla Street, which runs from the area near the Ibrahimi mosque” through Hebron’s old town, Mayor Dawud al-Zaatari told journalists. “This is the first time the army has allowed these shops to open since the beginning of the Second Intifada,” the violent uprising that begin in 2000 and lasted almost five years, he added.
Upon hearing the news, three owners immediately rushed to unlock the doors of their stores, according to an AFP photographer, but were prevented by soldiers from opening until Friday.
Zaatari said that the Israeli army would also be opening two roads to the south of the city that have been closed for years, to ease movement restrictions ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. The military did not confirm or deny the Palestinian mayor’s statements.
According to AFP, the army closed more than 500 Hebron shops in 2000. Hebron is a common flashpoint for Arab-Israeli tensions, with nearly 200,000 Palestinians resident there. Around 700 Jews also live in some 80 settler homes in the center of town housing, under Israeli army protection.
