The street on the right was once the main shopping street of Hebron. In 1994 the Israeli occupying forces forced the closure of some 500 Palestinian shops and barred Palestinians from driving there. In 2000 they barred Palestinian pedestrians too. More than a thousand store owners have been forced to close their shops due to checkpoints and closures, but illegal Israeli settlers are allowed free movement in the closed streets and are protected by occupying military forces.