Hebron’s Mayor Mr. Khaled Osaily received a US student delegation from the American University in Washington and briefed them on the political and living conditions of Hebronites.

At the beginning of the meeting which took place at Hebron Municipality, Mayor Osaily discussed the political situation in Hebron in general and in the Old City in particular. He touched on Israeli practices in the city, including the closing down of vital streets, the installation of more than 112 road blocks, checkpoints and electronic gates, as well as aggressions by Israeli settlers against unarmed Palestinians living in the Old City or near Israeli settlements erected on Palestinian land around the city. These practices, he said, have transformed the Old City into a ghost city. Mayor Osaily condemned the Israeli decision to allow settlers to demonstrate tomorrow in Hebron, especially in areas under Israeli security control, adding that it is impossible for Palestinians to coexist with these settlers who continue to terrorise them.

Mayor Osaily presented his vision for Hebron, a city whose inhabitants aspire to live in freedom and peace based on a two-state solution. Furthermore, he touched on the economic situation in the OPTs in general and in Hebron in particular, focusing on the severe economic conditions in Palestine due to closures between governorates, cities and villages as well as Israeli measures and restrictions on the export of Palestinian products.

Speaking about services, Mayor Osaily said Hebron’s Municipality has focused lately on projects aimed at youths in order to enhance their capacities, enable them to develop and improve their intellectual, scientific and cultural skills. “In parallel with providing support to the youth, we work to develop all sectors in the city, mainly its infrastructure, electricity and sewage networks, roads and sports facilities”, he added.

Mayor Osaily called on the visiting students to convey the sufferings they have seen in Hebron to their fellow students at the American University, stressing on the importance of their studies related to non-violence and civil peace.  

One of the participating students said: “we are distressed by what we saw in Hebron. It is an empty city and has been turned into a ghost area. We have come from Washington on a field tour to examine relations between Palestinians and Israelis as part of our higher education, and we shall convey what we witnessed on the ground to our fellow students at the University”.