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ePaper created 2015-12-01, 11:32:17 | version 1.43.00
34 akzente 2/15 their children to study at a university, despite the fact that job prospects for academics are poor. This attitude has much to do with He- bron’s character, which is more conservative – less western-influenced – than cities such as neighbouring Bethlehem, just 20 kilometres away. But the service industry is generating lots of new jobs, for as Abu Alfilat explains: ‘New restaurants are opening up all the time. More and more tourists are coming to the city these days.’ And Palestinian cooking – which is comparatively cheap in Hebron – is becoming increasingly popular among Israel’s Arab population. Around 20% of Israeli citi- zens are Arabs, who have freedom of move- ment in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. But for Palestinians, the end of the road is the checkpoint outside Jerusalem. Vocational training also prevents conflict This restricted movement obstructs eco- nomic development and is one of the fac- tors that accounts for the high rate of un- employment. According to the Interna- tional Labour Organization, unemployment in 2013 was at 24.5%. Moreover, as one of the strongholds of the Islamist Hamas or- ganisation, the city is a theatre of regular violent conflict. Hebron is a sacred site, venerated by both Jews and Muslims as the burial place of their forefather Abraham or Ibrahim. Central Hebron is home to a few hundred radical Israeli settlers, who live un- der heavy surveillance by the occupying forces and provoke violent confrontation Top: Good for business: Omar’s bakery is on a busy street in Hebron. Centre: Renal Qawasmeh (left) works in the bakery upstairs. She learned all her skills from teacher Rania al-Musleman (right). Bottom: Learning by doing – teacher and former student pass on their skills to the new intake of would-be pastry chefs.