Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼

@drewpavlou · Twitter · 2025-04-29 11:43 UTC

I watched the full Louis Theroux documentary on the settler movement. I wanted to point out at least one historical inaccuracy that I spotted when he speaks about Hebron. He states: “In 1968, the year after it was occupied by Israel, a community of Jewish settlers moved in illegally. They now number some 700.” In 1895 the Jewish population of Hebron was 1,429. So there were more Jews in Hebron some 130 years ago than there are Jews in Hebron today. Why does Louis neglect to mention this? He interviews a Palestinian human rights activist named Issa. This man states: “This is my land. The settlers chose to come here. And if it’s not safe for them, why continue to build more settlements in my own city?” But let’s step back for a second. Why is it that the Jewish population of Hebron is smaller today than it was 130 years ago? Jews have lived in Hebron since antiquity. Biblical tradition holds that Abraham settled in Hebron and purchased the Cave of the Patriarchs as a burial place for his wife Sarah. Modern Jewish history in Hebron dates back to at least the 15th century. A visiting rabbi found at least 20 Jewish families living in Hebron in 1521. This small Jewish community grew over the years despite facing brutal discrimination and recurring pogroms. They were banned from praying at the Cave of the Patriarchs - one of the holiest sites in Judaism - until the beginning of the 20th century. The Jewish community of Hebron was only effectively finally destroyed in 1929 as a result of the Hebron Massacre. Dozens of Jews - including non-Zionist Jews who had lived in Hebron for generations - were systematically murdered by Arab nationalists. The British then ordered the remaining Jews to leave the city. Jewish properties and homes were looted. The Hadassah building became an Arab girls' school, the Abraham Avinu synagogue was destroyed and used as a goat pen, and the Jewish cemetery was vandalized and desecrated. When Jordan occupied Hebron from 1948 to 1967, they razed the last remaining Jewish synagogues and strictly prohibited Jewish access to the city. The Tomb of the Patriarchs was once again off limits to the Jews. Following Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six Day War, Jews were finally able to reenter the city and visit the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Louis Theroux only picks up the story here, when settlers “illegally” moved in. I want to clarify that I oppose extremist settlers in the West Bank. But if the Jews are to live anywhere in the West Bank, surely there can be a community in Hebron? I mean, how is it fair that a 500 year old Jewish community gets massacred and expelled and their homes looted and when they move back in 30 years later it’s “illegal.”