One of the many baracades blocking access to simply cross the street forcing many to walk all the way around just to end up right on the other side of the street. Many times they walk all the way to the checkpoint to cross the street only to find out that it is not open for some reason. This side of the fence is Palestinian territory and just behind the concrete wall is the Israeli-only street. The trees in the not so far distance are on the other side of the street - Palestinian territory again.
Aaron coming out of the checkpoint just before the entrance to the Abraham Mosque.
Aaron is the figure on the right. As you can see, no shops were open here. You can also notice the protective netting that was put up as well as some trash that someone had attempted to throw down into the Palestinian market place.
Misty and a Palestinian girl coming down from the roof of local's home where we saw the complicated divisions of the city.
For the largest city in all of the West Bank, it was very empty and quiet especially compared to the smaller cities that we have been in. No shops were open and this was the main street. We could hear the woman walking and even the tarp above Aaron's head flapping in the wind. It was if we had just walked into an abandoned town out of a western movie.
You can see how daily life is horribly affected in Hebron - no economy, poverty, forced shop closures (thousands and thousands actually), restricted movement (or inconvenient and long detours), curfews (otherwise house arrest/imprisonment because they sometimes last for days with no relief to get even food - only shot at if you step foot out your door), etc. Imagine trying to raise a family or simply live in these types of circumstances. It sheds new light on the term "open-air prison" which many have used to describe many areas in Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza). We don't know how we would react living in such conditions - knowing that there is little that we can do to change it.
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