Palestinians forced to flee their homes: Israeli NGO

B'Tselem said 43 percent of the inhabitants in the three main streets of the so-called H-2 area, near the enclave of 500 Jewish settlers that lies in the heart of the city, have abandoned their homes since the start of the intifada in September 2000.

"According to our investigation, 73 of the 169 families living in these streets have left, while some 2,000 shops and businesses in the Casbah (Old city) have closed," the coordinator of the report, Shlomo Suissa, told AFP.

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"Three schools in which 1,835 pupils studied were taken over by the Israel Defence Forces and closed," said the report.

Among the reasons which led to the departure of the families, B'Tselem cites "violence by the settlers and the lack of law enforcement".

"IDF soldiers and border police officers commit acts of violence against Palestinian residents in the city," the report also said.

The report also blamed the army-imposed curfews and said "the Israeli security forces do not allow Palestinians in Hebron to move about freely in the city, to study, to earn a living, and to meet their everyday needs.

"The ongoing abuse of Hebron's Palestinian population results from the settlers' presence in the city," the report said.

There are some 1,200 Israeli soldiers and policemen tasked with guarding the enclave -- which includes the Tomb of the Patriarchs, holy to both Jews and Muslims.

Very long curfews are imposed on Palestinians living on some of the main streets in central H-2, which settlers from neighbouring Jewish settlements use to go to and from the enclave.

The Israeli army issued a long statement in response to B'Tselem's report, justifying its acts in the Hebron.

"The IDF is well aware that curfews are seen as drastic measures, not to be used except for situations where they are essential for protecting the lives of civilians and soldiers," the statement said.

The statement charges that B'Tselem ignored shooting incidents against settlers in the area, the most dramatic of which was a sniper attack on a group walking along the so-called "worshippers trail" that left 12 people left.

"Hebron is the only Palestinian city in which Israeli and Palestinian residents live side by side. Due to this, and the large number of terrorist attacks against the Israeli residents and the IDF soldiers protecting them, the city poses a complex security challenge," the army added.

Israel evacuated 80 percent of the city in 1997, following an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, but has continued to occupy a smaller area, where some 600 Jewish settlers have moved, surrounded by 120,000 Palestinians.