Hundreds marched today for the annual “Open Shuhadaa Street” protest in the occupied city of Hebron. Shuhadaa street in the old city used to be a lively market place, but was abruptly shut down by the Israeli military following the Goldstein Massacre of 1994. Barukh Goldstein, a settler and military doctor, fired at Muslim worshipers at the Ibrahimi mosque in the early hours of 25 February, 1994, killing 29 of them and wounding another 125. In the wake of subsequent violence, the Israeli military closed Shuhadaa street to Palestinians, shuttering stores and forcing residents off public spaces. Today, only Jewish settlers and their guests are allowed to move through the bulk of Shuhadaa street. Protesters chanted against the ongoing closure, against the ghettoization of Hebron and the continued settlement project that disrupt the daily lives of Palestinian civilians. The Israeli army dispersed protesters with barrages of tear gas. No serious injuries or arrests reported.

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