Hebron (Al Khalil)
Hebron: West Bank's largest Palestinian city (225,000+), 35% of Palestinian manufacturing, H1/H2 division creating fragmented economy, 17% GDP contraction 2024.
Hebron (Al-Khalil in Arabic) is the West Bank's largest Palestinian city with 225,000+ residents, uniquely divided between Palestinian Authority control (H1, 80% of area) and Israeli military control (H2, containing the old city and Cave of the Patriarchs). This territorial fragmentation creates an economy bifurcated by checkpoints: Hebron's traditional industries—glassblowing, pottery, and leather goods dating back centuries—operate under movement restrictions that limit market access. Before October 2023, Hebron governorate was the West Bank's manufacturing center, producing 35% of Palestinian industrial output with shoe factories and stone-cutting facilities. The 2024 economic crisis devastated this base: West Bank GDP contracted 17%, unemployment reached 28%, and 144,000 jobs vanished as Israeli closure policies intensified. The city's holy site—Abraham's tomb sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims—once attracted pilgrims but tourism collapsed 84% in 2024. Hebron's economy now depends on remittances and donor aid rather than trade. By 2026, any recovery requires easing movement restrictions that fragment production networks and cut manufacturers from both Israeli markets and export routes through Jordan.