Talking to the Palestinians, they are very hopeful about Hebron as one of the most contested towns in the West Bank. Getting into Hebron however was surprisingly easy. We took a bus from Jerusalem and after an hour or so arrived. The conditions on the ground looked tense and the place seemed utterly empty.
One of the girls on the bus knew people from CPT (http://www.cpt.org/) a Christian organization working in Hebron and so got invited to go up to their rooftop and see the town. Hebron from up top looks even more menacing with watchtowers manned by the IDF all around. We took a few pictures and immediately started noticing soldiers who seemed very interested in our presence.
Hebron used to have a main road lined with at least a few hundred shops but since the second Intifada the road, the shops, and people have all been forced out and it is now only open to the settlers. The Palestinians however much to the chagrin of the settlers aren't leaving and all seemed proud and positive despite the living conditions. We shared a few felafel's together and all told horror stories of how their businesses have been forced to shut down, access limited, and for Friday Shabbat they have to close their shops early for fear of vandalism from the settlers.
We noticed netting atop several shops and found out this is to keep the trash that the settlers throw on the Palestinians show owners below.
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