Over a 100 Palestinian women marched Hebron's streets today to resist the declaration of the Cave of the Patriarchs as an Israeli Heritage Site. The Women's Empowerment Project mobilized women from around the Hebron district to march from the city's town hall down to the mosque. The exclusively female crowd chanted and held banners while peacefully but decisively demonstrating.

At the checkpoint, the women had to wait for approximately 20 minutes before being allowed entrance into the mosque. An overall elated atmosphere affirmed this was a powerful demonstration, illuminating the sreangth of women, while simultaneously empowering them to take resistance out on the streets.

Women marching in the streets of Hebron in response to the declaration of the Cave of the Patriarchs as an Israeli heritage site

On 21 February 2010, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced his government's intention to designate the Cave of the Patriarchs as an Israeli Heritage Site. The shrine, located in the ancient city of Hebron, is considered to be sacred by Moslims, Jews and Christians as it is the burial place for three Biblical couples: Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob and Leah.

Netanyahu's statement has caused increased tensity in Hebron. Palestinians fear that this step is meant to cement Israeli hold of the West Bank city, and possibly entails a "Judaization of the Cave of the Patriarchs" with restricted access to the Mosque for Muslims. In the past ten days several demonstrations and clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army have taken place. In contrast to these previous demonstrations, today's march was not met with violence by the Army, nor were there any arrests made.