Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Fri 12.6.09, Morning

Date: 12/06/2009 ,Morning

Observers: Michal T., Hagit B., (reporting)

Hebron

According to Wye Plantation Accords (1997), Hebron is divided in two: H1 is under Palestinian Authority control, H2 is under Israeli control. In Hebron there are 170,000 Palestinian citizens, 60,000 of them in H2. Between the two areas are permanent checkpoints, manned at all hours, preventing Palestinian movement between them and controlling passage of permit holders such as teachers and schoolchildren. Some 800 Jews live in Avraham Avinu Quarter and Tel Rumeida, on Givat HaAvot and in the wholesale market.

Checkpoints observed in H2:

Bet Hameriva CP- manned with a pillbox
Kapisha quarter CP (the northern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
The 160 turn CP (the southern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
Avraham Avinu quarter - watch station
The pharmacy CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
Tarpat (1929) CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
Tel Rumeida CP - guarding station
Beit Hadassah CP - guarding station

Three checkpoints around the Tomb of the Patriarchs

Close description

Translation: Bracha B.A.
Sansana
There are no workers. There is a long line of sand trucks are working energetically on both sides.

Road 60
There is almost no traffic. The checkpoints are open and there is no traffic and the pillboxes are manned.

Road 35
While we were in the grocery store at 12pm, three soldiers emerged from the pillbox and conducted the procedure of halting life by placing spikes on the road and blocking traffic. Only one car is allowed to enter – that belonging to a settler from Telem. The Palestinians from both sides simply have to wait. A reminder: the road that they are blocking is the road between two Palestinian villages. Among the cars that were stopped are a car with three people who are hurrying to a funeral and a car with three women and three children. The soldiers are polite: “These are the orders we received. We are doing this for 40 minutes and then they can go.” We heard the following stories from detainees:
- During the past two weeks this procedure has taken place three times each day for 40 minutes (at 4:00 AM, at 12:00 PM, and at 8:00 PM).
- Two weeks ago a woman gave birth in a taxi that was on its way to Hebron. The ambulance was detained as well.
- Two weeks ago soldiers waved a taxi driver through, but did not remove the spikes from the road. The damage was more than NIS 1000 to each of his wheels. Who will pay, if not the unfortunate Palestinian who showed us the spikes.
It was lucky that we were there today because the procedure of halting traffic continued for only 20 minutes because of our presence. The soldiers gave up from our talking with them. They had no explanation for what they were doing – “Those are the orders that we received from higher up.”
During a discussion with H., the brigade spokeswoman, she told us that during the past two weeks there were local alerts and therefore the procedure was conducted three times each day at all the checkpoints in the Nablus area. The soldiers in the pillbox decide when to implement it. .