Hebron :

 

Hebron (Arabic Al Khalil, "the friend"), city in the West Bank, lying in a mountainous region near Jerusalem. Occupied by Israel when it captured the West Bank and other territories in the 1967 War (Six-Day War), in 1997 it was transferred to Palestinian rule as part of the Middle East peace process.

Following the 1967 war, several hundred Israeli settlers moved into central Hebron. Thus, Hebron has frequently been the scene of conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. Jewish settlements built on confiscated Palestinian land form a stranglehold around the city.

Hebron is one of the oldest communities in the world. Among the interesting features of Hebron are the narrow, winding streets, the flat-roofed stone houses, the bazaars, and the mosque of al-Haram. This mosque is built on top of the cave that is believed to hold the tombs of the Old Testament patriarch Abraham and his family. Today this cave, called the Cave of the Patriarchs, draws both Muslim and Jewish worshippers.

The mosque is now segregated into two parts, one for the Jews and the other for Moslems. Jews are not allowed in the Moslem part, and Moslems are not permitted into the Jewish part except on religious holidays. Christian tourists may visit both parts.