US actor Gere compares West Bank town to ‘Old South’

Actor Richard Gere has compared life for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron to segregation in the United States.

The Pretty Woman star toured Hebron this week with Breaking the Silence, a group of Israeli ex-soldiers who criticise Israeli policies in the West Bank.

During the visit, Gere said “it’s exactly what the Old South was in America”, according to a clip aired on Wednesday by Israel’s Channel 2 TV.

About 850 Israeli settlers in Hebron live in heavily-guarded enclaves, surrounded by tens of thousands of Palestinians.