This article is about the city in the Middle East. For other uses of the name, see Hebron (disambiguation).

Hebron
Downtown Hebron
Arabic	الخليل
Government	City (from 1997)
Also Spelled	Al-Khalīl (officially) Al-Ḫalīl (unofficially)
Governorate	Hebron
Population	167,000 (2006)
Jurisdiction	dunams
Head of Municipality	Khaled Osaily

Coordinates: 31°32′00″N 35°05′42″E / 31.533333, 35.095 Hebron (Arabic: الخليل (help·info) al-Ḫalīl or al Khalīl; Hebrew: חֶבְרוֹן (help·info), Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron, Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn) is a city at the center of the West Bank, along the eponymous Mount Hebron. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The following is a list of cities in Palestinian National Authority administrated areas, although depending on which particular area each locality is located After the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian territories were divided into three areas (Area A Area B and Area C and 16 Governorates under the jurisdiction The Hebron Governorate ( محافظة الخليل) is an administrative district of the Palestinian National Authority in the southern West Bank. A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of Area used in the Ottoman Empire and still used in various standardized versions A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Tiberian Hebrew is an extinct (yet very well documented Oral tradition of pronunciation for ancient Hebrew, especially the Hebrew of the Tanakh, that was The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria Mount Hebron (הר חברון is a geographic region and geologic formation in Judea, an area in modern Israel and the West Bank. It is home to some 166,000 Palestinians and 700–800 Israeli settlers. Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn ^[1][2] Hebron lies 930 metres (3,050 ft) above sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International The term above mean sea level ( AMSL) refers to the Elevation (on the ground or Altitude (in the Air) of any object relative to the Located in the Biblical region of Judea, it is the second holiest city in Judaism, after Jerusalem. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut ^[3]

The name "Hebron" traces back to the same root as Haver, or "friend". ^[4] In Arabic, "Ibrahim al-Khalil" ("إبراهيم الخليل") means "Ibrahim the friend", signifying that, according to Islamic teaching, Allah (God) chose Ibrahim (i. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' Ibrahim ( إبراهيم, Ibrāhīm) or Ebrahim ( Ebrāhīm) is a Arabic name given after prophet Ibrahim אַבְרָהָם e. Abraham) as his friend. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: ^[5]

Hebron is located 30 km south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the It is famous for its grapes, limestone, pottery workshops and glassblowing factories. For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Pottery is the Ceramic ware made by potters It also refers to a group of materials that includes Earthenware, Stoneware Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating the molten glass into a bubble or parison with the aid of the blowpipe or blow tube It is also the location of the major dairy product manufacturer, al-Jebrini. Dairy products are generally defined as Foodstuffs produced from Milk. The old city of Hebron is characterized by narrow, winding streets, flat-roofed stone houses, and old bazaars. A bazaar ( بازار) (pazar is a permanent merchandising area Marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold It is home to Hebron University and the Palestine Polytechnic University. Hebron University ( Arabic: جامعة الخليل Jaame'at al-Khali'yl) is one of the largest universities in the Palestinian territories. The Palestine Polytechnic University (PPU is a University located in Hebron, West Bank.

The Cave of the Patriarchs, revered by Jews and Muslims. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans

The most famous historic site in Hebron sits on the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans The site is holy to all three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, due to their traditional connections to Abraham. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: According to Genesis, he purchased the cave and the field surrounding it to bury his wife Sarah, and subsequently Abraham Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah were also buried in the cave (the remaining Matriarch, Rachel, is buried outside Bethlehem). Sarah (; Arabic: سارة, Sārah; "a woman of high rank" is the wife of Abraham as described in the Hebrew Bible According to the Hebrew Bible, Isaac ( Hebrew: Yitzchak יִצְחָק, Standard Yiẓḥaq This article is about the biblical matriarch For other uses of the word Rebecca see Rebecca (disambiguation Rebecca (also Rebekah also Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; Leah ( "Weary tired" is the first of the four concurrent wives of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob, and mother of six of the Twelve Tribes of Israel along A matriarch, clan-mother or 'chief' is an Autocratic female ruler of a human family Clan, or Kinship, or of an animal grouping Rachel (; meaning "ewe" is the second and favorite Wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, first mentioned in the Rachel's Tomb ( Hebrew: קבר רחל Arabic: translit Qubbat Rakhil, trans For this reason, Hebron is also referred to as "the City of the Patriarchs" in Judaism, and it is the second of the four holiest cities in Judaism (along with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Safed). The Four Holy Cities is the collective term in Jewish tradition applied to the cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias, and Safed: "Since Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Tiberias ( British English: /taɪˈbɪəriæs -əs/ American English: /taɪˈbɪriəs/ טְבֶרְיָה Tverya; طبرية Ṭabariyyah Safed (צְפַת pronounced Tsfat; صفد pronounced Safad) is a city in the Northern District of Israel. ^[6] Over and around the cave itself churches, synagogues and mosques have been built throughout history (see "History" below). A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger Hebron ( al-Ḫalīl or al-Khalīl, Standard Hebrew: Ḥevron Tiberian Hebrew: Ḥeḇrôn is the largest city in the West Bank, located in the south The Isaac Hall is now the Ibrahimi Mosque, while the Abraham Hall and Jacob Hall serve as a Jewish synagogue. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans In medieval Christian tradition, Hebron was one of the three cities, the other two being Juttah and Ain Karim, that boasted of being the home of Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist and the wife of Zacharias. Juttah (יוטה was a town in ancient Israel. It is identified with modern day Yattah, which is located on a hill about 10 km south of Hebron. Ein Kerem (عين كارم עין כרם lit Spring of the Vineyard) also commonly known as Ein Karem, is a neighborhood in southwest Jerusalem Saint Elizabeth, also spelled Elisabeth or Elisheva ( Hebrew אֱלִישֶׁבַע / אֱלִישָׁבַע "My God Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. Zechariah (Hebrew prophet -->In the Bible, Zechariah ^[7]

Adjacent to Hebron is the densely populated Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, a separate municipality, but within several minutes walking distance from Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs. Israeli settlements are communities inhabited by Israelis in territory that was captured as a result of Jordanian attacks during the 1967 Six-Day War. Kiryat Arba or Qiryat Arba is an urban Jewish community in the southern Judea region of the West Bank adjoining the city of Hebron. Local councils (מועצה מקומית moetza mekomit) are one of the three types of Local government found in Israel, with the other two being The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans

History

Ancient period

Hebron was an old Canaanite royal city before it became one of the most ancient cities of the Kingdom of Judah. Canaanites redirects here For the 1940s social and political movement in Israel, see Canaanites (movement. Judea is a term used for the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel. Archeological excavations reveal traces of strong fortifications datable to the Early Bronze Age. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for The city was destroyed in a conflagration, and resettled in the late Middle Bronze Age. A cultic structure, with cuneiform fragments listing animals to be sacrificed, is attested from this period. ^[8] It is mentioned in the Bible as being the site of Abraham's purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs from the Hittites, in a narrative that some recent historians regard as constituting a late 'pious prehistory' of Israel's settlement. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans The Hittites were an ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established ^[9] The Abrahamic traditions associated with Hebron are nomadic, and may reflect a Kenite element, since the nomadic Kenites are said to have long occupied the city,^[10] and Heber is the name for a Kenite clan. In the ancient Levant, the Kenites were a nomadic clan sent under Jethro to priest Midian. ^[11] Hebron is also mentioned there as being formerly called Kirjath-arba, or "city of four", possibly referring to a federation of four townlets, or four hills,^[12] before being conquered by Caleb and the Israelites (Joshua 14:15). Kiryat Arba or Qiryat Arba is an urban Jewish community in the southern Judea region of the West Bank adjoining the city of Hebron. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" For other meanings of the word Caleb or Kalev see Caleb (disambiguation Caleb ( Hebrew; Tiberian vocalization See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. The Book of Joshua ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'hoshua ספר יהושע is the sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Hebron became one of the principal centers of the Tribe of Judah, and the Judahite King David reigned in the city until the capture of Jerusalem, when the capital of the Kingdom of Israel was moved to that city. The Tribe of Judah ( was one of the Tribes of Israel. At its height it was the leading tribe of the Kingdom of Judah, and occupied most of the territory of the kingdom David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The Kingdom of Israel ( ( KJV Israel in Samaria) was one of the successor states to the older United Monarchy (also often called the 'Kingdom of Israel'

See also: LMLK seal

After the destruction of the First Temple, most of the Jewish inhabitants of Hebron were exiled and their place was taken by Edomites at about 587 BCE. LMLK seals were stamped on the handles of large storage jars mostly in and around Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah (circa 700 BC based on several complete Solomon's Temple (בית המקדש transliterated Beit HaMikdash) also known as the First Temple, was according to Herod the Great built the wall which still surrounds the Cave of Machpelah. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans During the first war against the Romans, Hebron was conquered by Simon Bar Giora, the leader of the Sicarii. Simon Bar Giora (alternatively known as Simeon Bar Giora or Simon Ben Giora or Shimon Bar Giora) was a leader of the Sicarii faction during the Sicarii (Latin plural of Sicarius 'dagger-' or later contract- killer is a term applied in the decades immediately preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in Eventually it became part of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I erected a Christian church over the Cave of Machpelah in the 6th century CE which was later destroyed by the Sassanid general Shahrbaraz in 614 when Khosrau II's armies besieged and took Jerusalem. This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire Shahrbaraz (or Shahrwaraz) (died June 9, 630) was a general with the rank of Eran Spahbod ( Commander of the Army of Iran) under Events By Place Europe The Palace of Diocletian is damaged by the Avars who sack nearby Salona. Khosrau II or Khosrow II ( Chosroes II or Xosrov II in classical sources sometimes called

Northern Hebron in the mid-19th century (1822–1898).

Medieval period

The Islamic Caliphate established rule over Hebron without resistance in 638, and converted the Byzantine church at the site of Abraham's tomb into a mosque. A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history Trade greatly expanded, in particular with Bedouins in the Negev and the population to the east of the Dead Sea. The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously The Negev (נֶגֶב Tiberian vocalization: Néḡeḇ) is the Desert region of southern Israel. The Dead Sea (יָם הַ‏‏מֶ‏ּ‏לַ‏ח, "Sea of Salt"البَحْر المَيّت, "Dead Sea" is a salt lake between During this period, Muslims converted the Byzantine church at the site of the Cave of the Patriarchs into a mosque. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans Both Muslim and Christian sources note that Umar allowed Jews to build a synagogue and burial ground nearby, while the 9th century Karaite scholar Zedakah ben Shomron wrote about a permanent Jewish presence and described a Jewish man as the "keeper of the cave". Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great Karaite Judaism or Karaism (ˈkærəˌaɪt ˈkærəˌɪzəm) is a Jewish movement NOTE The word sect should not be used without defining it first and Arab geographer al-Muqaddasi described "a synagogue and central kitchen which the Jews had set up for all the pilgrims rich and poor" at the turn of the century. Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi (محمد بن أحمد شمس الدين المقدسي also Transliterated as Al-Maqdisi and el-Mukaddasi

Arab rule lasted in the area, which was predominantly populated by peasants of various Christian persuasions,^[13] until 1099, when the Christian Crusader Godfrey de Bouillon took Hebron and renamed it "Castellion Saint Abraham". The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents Godfrey of Bouillon (c 1060 Boulogne-sur-Mer &ndash 18 July 1100, Jerusalem) was a medieval knight who was a leader of the First He then gave Hebron to Gerard of Avesnes as the fief of Saint Abraham. Gerard of Avesnes was a knight from Hainault held hostage at Arsuf, north of Jaffa, who had been wounded by Godfrey's own forces during the siege of the port, and later returned by the Muslims to Godfrey as a token of good will. Hainault is a place in the London Borough of Redbridge in East London. ArsufJPG|right|thumbnail|450px|Remains of the stronghold]] Arsuf (אַרְסוּף ארשוף أرصف also known as Arsur or Apollonia, was an ancient city Jaffa يَافَا;(יָפוֹ Yafo; also Japho, Joppa) is an ancient Port city believed to be one of the oldest in the world ^[14] As a Frankish garrison, soon governed by Tancred, Prince of Galilee, its defence was precarious, being 'little more than an island in a Moslem ocean'. The Franks or Frankish people (Franci or gens Francorum) were West Germanic tribes first identified in the 3rd century as an Ethnic group Tancred ( 1072 - December 5 or December 12, 1112) was a Norman leader of the First Crusade who later became Prince ^[15] The Crusaders converted the mosque and the synagogue into a church and expelled Jews living there. In 1106, an Egyptian campaign thrust into southern Palestine and almost succeeded in wresting back Hebron from the crusaders from Baldwin I of Jerusalem, who personally led the counter-charge to beat the Muslim forces off. Baldwin I of Jerusalem, formerly Baldwin I of Edessa, born Baldwin of Boulogne (French Baudouin de Boulogne 1058? - April 2, 1118, was The Damascene nobleman and historian Ibn al-Qalanisi in his chronicle alludes at this time to the discovery of relics purported to be those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in this period, a discovery which excited eager curiosity among all three communities in Palestine, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Hamza ibn Asad abu Ya'la ibn al-Qalanisi (c 1070 - March 18, 1160) was an Arab politician and chronicler in Damascus in the 12th century A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial ^[16] Towards the end of the period of Crusader rule, in 1166 Maimonides was able to visit Hebron and wrote, "And on the first day of the week, the ninth day of the month of Marheshvan, I left Jerusalem for Hebron to kiss the graves of my forefathers in the Cave of Makhpela. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and Cheshvan ( Hebrew: חֶשְׁוָן, Standard Ḥešvan Tiberian Ḥešwān) short for And on that very day, I stood in the cave and I prayed, praised be God for everything. "

Maimonides established a yearly holiday for himself and his sons, the 9th of Cheshvan, commemorating the day he merited to pray at the Cave of the Patriarchs. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and Cheshvan ( Hebrew: חֶשְׁוָן, Standard Ḥešvan Tiberian Ḥešwān) short for The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans

The Kurdish Muslim Salaḥ ed-Dīn took Hebron in 1187, and changed the name of the city back to "Hebron". Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سه‌لاحه‌دین ئه‌یوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c A Kurdish quarter still existed in the town during the early period of Ottoman rule. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish ^[17] Richard the Lionheart subsequently took the city soon after. Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death Richard of Cornwell, brought from England to settle the dangerous feuding between Templars and Hospitallers, whose rivalry imperilled the treaty guaranteeing regional stability stipulated with the Egyptian Sultan as-Salih Ayub, managed to impose peace on the area. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order The Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings But soon after his departure, feuding broke out and in 1241 the Templars mounted a damaging raid on what was, by now, Moslem Hebron, in violation of agreements. ^[18]

In 1260, al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdari established Mamluk rule; the minarets were built onto the structure of the Cave of Machpelah/Ibrahami Mosque at that time. Baibars, or al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari ( Arabic ar الملك‭ ‬الظاهر‭ ‬ركن‭ ‬الدين‭ ‬بيبرس‭ ‬البندقداري For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة During this period, a small Jewish community continued to live in Hebron; however, the climate was less tolerant of Jews and Christians than it had been under prior Islamic rule. Jews wishing to visit the tomb were often taxed, and in 1266 a decree was established barring Jews and Christians from entering the Tomb of the Patriarchs; they were only allowed to climb up to a certain step outside the Eastern wall. Sir John Mandeville wrote that the Jews and Christians were viewed "as dogs. " Jehan de Mandeville " translated as " Sir John Mandeville " is the name claimed by the compiler of a singular book of supposed travels written in "^[19] Many Jewish and Christian visitors wrote about the community, among them a student of Nachmanides (1270), Rabbi Ishtori Haparchi (1322), Stephen von Gumfenberg (1449), Rabbi Meshulam from Volterra (1481) and Rabbi Obadiah ben Abraham, a famous biblical commentator (1489). Nahmanides (1194 &ndash c 1270 was a Catalan Rabbi, philosopher, Physician, Kabbalist and biblical commentator. Ishtori Haparchi (1280-1366 (also Estori Haparchi) (אשתורי הפרחי is the pen name of the 14th century Jewish physician topographer and traveler Isaac Volterra is a town in the Tuscany region of Italy. History The town was a Neolithic settlement and an important Etruscan center with an Obadiah ben Abraham ( Hebrew: עובדיה מברטנורא) of Bertinoro was a Jewish Rabbi and a commentator on the Mishnah As early as 1333, there was an account from Hakham Yishak Hilo of Larissa, Greece, who arrived in Hebron and observed Jews working in the cotton trade and glassworks. Larissa ( Greek: Λάρισα, Lárisa) is the capital city of the Thessaly periphery of Greece, and capital of the He noted that in Hebron there was an "ancient synagogue in which they prayed day and night. "

Ottoman rule

Throughout the Ottoman Empire rule, (1517-1917), groups of Jews from other parts of the Holy Land, and exiles from Spain and other parts of the diaspora went and settled there. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Hebron at this time became a center of Jewish learning. In 1540 Rabbi Malkiel Ashkenazi bought a courtyard and established the Abraham Avinu Synagogue. Malkiel Ashkenazi was a Sephardic Rabbi and leader of the Jewish community in Hebron in 1540 The Abraham Avinu Synagogue (בית הכנסת על שם אברהם אבינו was built by Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi in the Jewish Quarter of Hebron in In 1807, the Jewish community purchased a 5 dunam (5,000 m²) plot, upon which the city's wholesale market stands today.

In 1834 Hebron was sacked by the army of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt. Although property was destroyed and looted, most of the Muslim population is said to have been able to flee. Within the larger sacking there was a pogrom targeted at the city's Jews, five of whom were murdered. ^[20] In 1841, the population of Hebron was given, according to the number of taxpayers, i. e. , male heads of households that owned even a very small shop or piece of land. There were two hundred Jews with "European protections", one Christian household, 41 Jewish households and 1,500 Muslim households, in a total population of 10,000. ^[21]

Under the British mandate

In December 1917 and during World War I, the British occupied Hebron. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All In the 1929 Hebron massacre, Arabs killed 67 Jews and wounded 60, and Jewish homes and synagogues were ransacked. The Hebron Massacre refers to the Mass murder of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August, 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Two years later, 35 families moved back into the ruins of the Jewish quarter, but after further riots, the British Government decided to move all Jews out of Hebron "to prevent another massacre". The 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine was an uprising during the British mandate by Arabs in Palestine which lasted from 1936 to 1939 Hebron remained as a part of the British Mandate of Palestine until 1948. The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement

Jordanian rule

Shavei Hebron yeshiva in the Beit Romano building of the Jewish quarter in old Hebron. The modern city is visible at the top edge.

Following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Jordan took over the control of Hebron and the rest of the West Bank. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The West Bank and East Jerusalem were occupied by Jordan (formerly Transjordan) for a period of nearly two decades (1948&ndash1967 starting During this time, Israelis were not allowed to enter the West Bank. The Jewish Quarter was destroyed.

Israeli rule

After the June 1967 Six Day War Hebron came under Israeli control with the rest of the West Bank. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria

In 1968, a group of Jewish settlers, with the tacit support of Levi Eshkol and Yigal Allon,^[22] began to reside in the city, though a government compromise soon focused the Jewish presence to the east in the new settlement of Kiryat Arba. (לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל born Levi Školnik (לֵוִי שׁקוֹלנִיק on 25 October 1895, died 26 February 1969) Yigal Allon (יגאל אלון born 10 October 1918, died 29 February 1980) was an Israeli politician a commander of the Israeli settlements are communities inhabited by Israelis in territory that was captured as a result of Jordanian attacks during the 1967 Six-Day War. Kiryat Arba or Qiryat Arba is an urban Jewish community in the southern Judea region of the West Bank adjoining the city of Hebron. Beginning in 1979, Jewish settlers moved from Kiryat Arba to found the Committee of The Jewish Community of Hebron in the former Jewish neighbourhood near the Abraham Avinu Synagogue, and later to other Hebron neighborhoods including Tel Rumeida. The Committee of The Jewish Community of Hebron is the municipal body of the Israeli settlers of the city of Hebron, on the West Bank. The Abraham Avinu Synagogue (בית הכנסת על שם אברהם אבינו was built by Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi in the Jewish Quarter of Hebron in Tel Rumeida (תל רומיידה is a Tell most identified as the location of biblical Hebron.

See also: #Jewish settlement after 1967

Post-Oslo Accord

Open-air market in city being patrolled by Israeli troops (2004).

Since early 1997, following the Hebron Agreement, the city has been divided into two sectors: H1 and H2. Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron, also known as The Hebron Protocol or Hebron Agreement, began January 7 and was concluded from January The H1 sector, home to around 120,000 Palestinians, came under the control of the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with Hebron Protocol. ^[23] H2, which was inhabited by around 30,000 Palestinians,^[24] remained under Israeli military control in order to protect some 800-900 Jewish residents living in the old Jewish quarter, now an enclave near the center of the town. During the years since the outbreak of the Second Intifada, the Palestinian population in H2 has decreased greatly, the drop in large part having been identified with extended curfews and movement restrictions placed on Palestinian residents of the sector by the IDF for security needs, including the closing of Palestinian shops in certain areas. Settler harassment of their Palestinian neighbours in H2 was a reason for several dozen Palestinian families to depart the areas adjacent to the Israeli population. ^{[25][26][27][28][24]}

A busy street in Hebron

The Hebron Jewish community has been subject to many attacks by Palestinian militants since the Oslo agreement,^[29] especially during the period of the Second Intifada which saw suicide bombings, stabbings, and thousands of rounds fired on it from the Abu-Sneina neighbourhood above it. This article is about suicide attacks for political and/or military reasons 12 Israelis were killed in one ambush of worshippers on the way to the Cave of the Patriarchs, while an infant was killed in a sniper attack. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans The murder of Shalhevet Pass was the killing of a ten-month-old Israeli Infant by a Palestinian gunman on March 26, 2001. ^{[24][30][31][32]} Two Temporary International Presence in Hebron observers were killed by Palestinian gunmen in a shooting attack on the road to Hebron. Temporary International Presence in Hebron or TIPH is a group of civilians observing the situation in the West Bank city of Hebron. ^[33][34]

In 1994, Israeli physician Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Muslims at prayer in the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre, killing 29, before the survivors overcame and killed him. Baruch Kappel Goldstein ( ברוך גולדשטיין; December 9, 1956 &ndash February 25, 1994) was an American born See also Hebron massacre (disambiguation The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre was a terrorist attack on Muslim Arabs praying at the This event was condemned by the Israeli Government, and the extreme right-wing Kach party was banned as a result. Kach (כ"ך an acronym for Kahane LaKnesset (כהנא לכנסת lit

A year later, Hebron's mayor, Mustafa Abdel Nabi, invited the Christian Peacemaker Teams to assist the local Palestinian community in opposition to what they describe as Israeli military occupation, collective punishment, settler harassment, home demolitions and land confiscation. Christian Peacemaker Teams ( CPT) is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world ^[35]

An international unarmed observer force—the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) was subsequently established to help the normalization of the situation and to maintain a buffer between the Palestinian Arab population of the city and the Jews residing in their enclave in the old city. Temporary International Presence in Hebron or TIPH is a group of civilians observing the situation in the West Bank city of Hebron. On February 8, 2006, TIPH temporarily left Hebron after attacks on their headquarters by some Palestinians angered by the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy. TIPH came back to Hebron a few months later.

Demographics

Jewish settlement after 1967

Star of David carved above entrance to a now Arab home in the old city of Hebron. The Star of David or Shield of David ( Magen David in Hebrew with nikkud or מגן דוד without academically transcribed Māḡēn Dāwīḏ by ^[37][38]

Following the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel's position was parts of the West Bank be traded for peace with Jordan. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The West Bank (الضفة الغربية, הגדה המערבית Hagadah Hamaaravit) also referred to in Israel as " Judea and Samaria Land for peace is a general principle proposed for resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict by which the State of Israel would relinquish control of all or part ^[39]

In an interview with the BBC on July 12 of that year, Former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared that, in the cause of peace, Israel should take nothing in the conquered territories, with the exception of Hebron, which 'is more Jewish even than Jerusalem'. According to Randolph Churchill, he argued that "Jerusalem became Jewish three thousand years ago under King David but Hebron became Jewish four thousand years ago under Abraham and included a number of settlements that were destroyed two days before Israel was established. "^[40]

In 1968, a group of Jews led by Rabbi Moshe Levinger rented out the main hotel in Hebron, and then refused to leave. Rabbi Moshe Levinger (משה לוינגר born 1935 is an Israeli Religious Zionist who since 1967 has been a leading figure in the movement to settle Jews in the territories According to the American Jewish historian Ian Lustik:

The government was caught by surprise. Ian Steven Lustick (born 1949 is an American political scientist and specialist on the modern history and politics of the Middle East. Internally divided, depending for its survival on the votes of the National Religious Party, and reluctant to forcibly evacuate the settlers from a city whose Jewish population had been massacred thirty-nine years earlier, the Labor government backed away from its original prohibition against civilian settlement in the area and permitted this group to remain within a military compound. The National Religious Party (מפלגה דתית לאומית Miflaga Datit Leumit, commonly known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym Mafdal, (Hebrew מפד"ל Elections for the sixth Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1965 After more than a year and a half of agitation and a bloody Arab attack on the Hebron settlers, the government agreed to allow Levinger's group to establish a town on the outskirts of the city.

They moved to a nearby abandoned army camp and established the settlement of Kiryat Arba. Kiryat Arba or Qiryat Arba is an urban Jewish community in the southern Judea region of the West Bank adjoining the city of Hebron. In 1979, Levinger's wife led 30 Jewish women to take over the former Hadassah Hospital, Daboya Hospital, now Beit Hadassah in central Hebron, founding the Committee of The Jewish Community of Hebron. Hadassah Medical Center (מרכז רפואי הדסה includes two University hospitals at Ein Kerem and Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, The Committee of The Jewish Community of Hebron is the municipal body of the Israeli settlers of the city of Hebron, on the West Bank. Before long this received Israeli government approval and a further three Jewish enclaves in the city were established with army assistance, and settlers are currently reported to be trying to purchase more homes in the city. ^[41][42]

Jews living in these settlements and their supporters claim that they are resettling areas where Jews have lived since time immemorial. However, some reports, both foreign and Israeli are sharply critical of the settlers. ^[43][44]

The sentiments of Jews who fled the 1929 Hebron massacre and their descendants are mixed. The Hebron Massacre refers to the Mass murder of sixty-seven Jews on 23 and 24 August, 1929 in Hebron, then part of the British Some advocate the continued settlement of Hebron as a way to continue the Jewish heritage in the city, while others suggest that settlers should try to live in peace with the Arabs there, with some even recommending the complete pullout of all settlers in Hebron. ^[45] Descendants supporting the latter views have met with Palestinian leaders in Hebron. ^[46] The two most public examples of the descendants' views are the 1997 statement made by an association of some descendants dissociating themselves from the then-current Jewish settlers in Hebron and calling them an obstacle to peace,^[46] and the May 15, 2006 letter sent to the Israeli government by other descendants urging the government to continue its support of Jewish settlement in Hebron in their names, and urged it to allow the return of eight Jewish families evacuated the previous January from the homes they set up in empty shops near the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Events 1252 - Pope Innocent IV issues the Papal bull Ad exstirpanda, which authorizes but also limits the Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[45] Beit HaShalom, was established in 2007. Beit HaShalom, (בית השלום lit the House of Peace) is a four-story structure that houses a local Hebron Jewish community of 25 families youth [1] [2] [3] One of the purchasers is a descendant of Jews who fled Hebron during Arab massacres. ^[47]

A total of 86 Jewish families now live in Hebron. [4]

A military checkpoint in Hebron. Picture from documentary Welcome to Hebron

The Israeli NGO Breaking The Silence, composed mostly of former soldiers, has documented abuses committed by Israeli soldiers guarding the Hebron settlers,^[48] while Mario Vargas Llosa has written about how local Arabs are "subjected [] to systematic and ferocious harassment by settlers, who stone them, throw rubbish and excrement at their houses, invade and destroy their homes, and attack their children when they return from school, to the absolute indifference of Israeli soldiers who witness these atrocities. The Israel Defense Forces ( IDF) (צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, lit Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa (born March 28 1936 is a Peruvian writer Politician, Journalist, and Essayist. "^[49]

The documentary Welcome to Hebron showed how violent settlers harass the local Palestinian population. ^[50] In the film, a former commander of the Israeli army, one of the leading figures in Breaking The Silence, shared his experiences as a soldier in Hebron.

Cultural, historical and sporting landmarks

Adjacent to the municipality building, the Hebron archaeological museum has a collection of artifacts from the Canaanite to the Islamic periods. The Oak Of Abraham, also called Oak of Mamre, is an ancient oak tree which marks the place where, according to tradition, Abraham pitched his tent. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: It is estimated that this oak is approximately 5,000 years old. The Russian Orthodox Church owns the site and the nearby monastery. Other notable sites are The Well of Abraham and the tombs of Abner ben Ner (the commander of Saul and David's army), Ruth and Jesse. In the Book of Samuel, Abner ( Biblical Hebrew for "father of is a light" is first cousin to Saul and commander-in-chief of his army (1 Samuel Saul (שאול המלך (or Sha'ul) ( Arabic: طالوت,Tālūt ( (reigned 1047 - 1007 BCE is identified in the Books of Samuel, 1 Chronicles David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible This article is about the ancient Hebrew religious text For the 20th-century English-language novel see The Book of Ruth (novel The Book of Ruth Jesse or Yishai ( meaning "God's gift" is the father of the Biblical David mentioned in the Books of Samuel of the Hebrew Bible.

Languages and accents

Palestinian Hebronites are known amongst the Levant for their distinguished colloquial Arabic accent. Hebronites speak while stretching their words giving it a long musical sound.

Notable people relating to Hebron

See also

• Hebron glass
• LMLK seals (oldest inscription naming the city dates to 700 BCE if HBRN=Hebron)
• Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Temporary International Presence in Hebron
• Hebron Yeshiva
• Riots in Palestine of 1929
• al-Aqsa Intifada
• Palestinian Child Arts Center
• List of burial places of biblical figures

References

External links

• Photographs of Hebron
• Hebron.com - English
• Collection of Palestinian articles on Hebron published by "This Week in Palestine".