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Hebron Agreement. Hebron is the resting place of the patriarchs, and also David s general Avner Ben-Ner, Ruth and Jesse. Box at end of text.
When Moshe Levinger and a group of activists funded by the Land of Israel Movement moved into Hebron's Park Hotel on April 4, 1968, less then a year after Hebron was conquered without a fight in the Six Day War, they were staking claims to a city with roots deeper in Jewish history than any other.
They also moved into the heart of a hostile city populated at the time by nearly 40,000 Arabs. It is a mix that never worked.
Hebron. Al-Khalil. The City of the Patriarchs. It is a city which, according to official estimates, has 120,000 Arabs and 500 Jews. Kiryat Arba, which is right next to Hebron, has another 6,000 Jews, and some of their homes look onto homes in Hebron.
This area is as rich in Biblical imagery as can be found anywhere. Hebron is sometimes lyrically referred to as a "Mirror of Jerusalem" or as "Jerusalem's Elder Sister," terms reflecting the historic and physical parallels between the two cities that are some 30 minutes' drive apart.
Hebron is first mentioned in Genesis 23:2. "And Sarah died in Kiryat Arba, that is Hebron, in the Land of Canaan; and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her." The chapter then goes on to retell how Abraham bought the Machpela Cave from Efron the Hittite for a family tomb.
The Bible records that the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are buried in the tomb, as are the Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca and Leah. Jewish tradition has it that Adam and Eve are buried there as well. In addition to its link with the Patriarchs, Hebron is where King David began his kingdom.
"David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years," it says in the Book of Samuel II (5:4- 5). "In Hebron he reigned over Judea seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years over all Israel and Judea." Hebron is one of Judaism's four sacred cities, the others being Jerusalem, Safed and Tiberias. In addition to the Tomb of the Patriarchs,...