On a warm summer afternoon, Zuleikha stands on her landing, listening to the adhan recited from the nearby Ibrahimi Mosque. Having lived in Al-Khalil (Hebron) her whole life, Zuleikha knows every corner of the city by heart. Her house is situated within Hebron’s historic center and is part of a series of buildings that date back to the Mamelukes. At 6:30 p.m., while walking along the alleys that lead to her home, the impression is of wandering into a ghost town where one’s presence is a disturbing contrast with the silence and emptiness of the streets. It is surprising given that all Palestinians from Al-Khalil who are over thirty years old describe how this neighborhood was once the hub of the city’s commercial life. As Zuleikha tells us, going on a simple stroll here is dangerous due to the high likelihood of being harassed and attacked by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) — or as Palestinian groups call them, the Israel Occupation Forces — soldiers patrolling the area 24/7.

Indeed, just a few minutes spent in Hebron’s old town are enough to become aware of the injustice that rules over it. For instance, it’s easy to come across military bases and Israeli army checkpoints scattered throughout the neighborhood, which are there to filter and block the unimpeded movement of Palestinians whose families have lived here for centuries.