Hebron

We headed out at 10am because it is schools' winter break time. Despite the bitter cold – it started snowing later on – many children are out and about.

We didn't see anything worth reporting.

A woman told us of soldiers' harassment of two boys at the pharmacy checkpoint (published also by 'Betzelem').

Translated by Jenny L.

Route 60

Strong winds blowing; very little traffic on Route 60. At the foot of Beit Haggai, the entrance to the southern approaches to Hebron has for some time been blocked with stone blocks. In the last year they also added a barbed wire fence, as if anyone could get through this blockade. This morning the fence has been folded back to the side of the road and soldiers in an armored vehicle are on guard there. "Who or what are you guarding?" "We don't know," they answer.

We decided today to travel in the direction of Tekoa, which means turning east at the entrance to Sa'ir and to continue on to Tekoa, toward Jerusalem. We went into Hebron on the way back.

Route 3517 - Route 3670

The road is pretty and silent. A section of it is in fact the continuation of Route 356. Further on, the road leading according to the sign to the veteran settlements Meizad/Asphar which looks to be well established and not far from it, the settlement 'Pnei Kedem', where they are still living in caravans. On a hilltop nearby caravans are to be seen, which aroused our interest. The track was very rough and fearing for our vehicle, our driver parked at the side of the road. All at once we noticed a group of soldiers at the top of the hill. We approached them, in the hope of getting answers to our questions. They are reserve soldiers, tolerant and smiling. "Ah, you're from Machsom Watch!! I'm for you!" exclaims the reservist with the biggest smile.  "No. I didn't mean that, I'm just fooling around. On the contrary!" he continues. "What are you doing here," we ask. "Guarding the road" "What is there to guard?" "That there won't be any problems, any penetrations," they reply. "What's on the hill?" we ask. "We don't know," they answer.  "Good and obedient" soldiers like these draw out our anger about the occupation.  They quietly listen without saying anything. They explain where the settlements seen on the sign are to be found and we drive on to see them. They are located on hills at a high elevation from which all the surroundings can be seen. The military base is located immediately adjoing Meizad. Again we see the symbiosis the authorities have so cleverly created. The fact is again evident that everyone in these places is here with the Government's blessing. The signs indicate that the road continues to the Etzion Bloc.

We returned to the road leading to Tekoa, all the village road signs are primarily to Jewish settlements. Almost all their neighbors, in their villages since time immemorial, might as well be invisible. They don't exist on the map. We continued on to the southern approaches of Jerusalem. The Har Homa neighborhood stands out like a thorn on the landscape. We returned to Route 60.

Hebron

At the entrance to Kiryiat Arba, the guard again, for the thousandth time, requests ID from M. our driver. And yet again we too insist on presenting our IDs. Again a phone call is made to notify our arrival.  The Golani flags are blowing in the wind. Again and again we see "Gideon Family" emblazed on their ensignia. In the city itself, the soldiers have hung posters: "The Lions of Wrath". This is what they call themselves.

We had arranged to meet someone who for eight years has been trying without success to obtain a permit to work in Israel. We gave him the relevant information and were again forced to remark that it wasn't at all certain that we could help him. Our sense of helplessness is a constant source of despair.

Because it was so late, we were "fortunate" enough to see a group of female teachers at the Tarpat checkpoint on their way back to H2. A soldier is trying to direct them to go through the magnometer. They refuse. To our joy, he "remembers" that it's permitted to allow people to go home without being checked and he opens the gate. An exchange of looks between us, small signs of victory exchanged between the women and us, and they turn to go home. "Such happiness."

Translated by Jenny L.

Meitar Crossing

the parking lot on the Israeli side is full of cars and workers who have not yet set out on their journey. The Palestinian side is empty - as each person arrives they are quickly checked and pass through the checkpoint.

Route 60

All checkpoints are open and there is a good flow of people. There is a heavy presence of IDF vehicles along the Route.

Hebron

It's cold and clear in the city. Children are walking to school bundled up in coats. International volunteers are in place at the checkpoints, counting the number of people going through the crossings. Golani soldiers appear to be at loose ends, supervising but scarcely interfering with the flow. The city is quiet and clean, with an element of tension in the air because of the military jeeps circulating between checkpoints.

Route 317

The Ziff Junction - we went into the grocery store to buy something and also to find out whether indeed a Palestinian had forced his way through the checkpoint and been shot on Saturday. According to the grocer's version of events, it was a Palestinian who had been driving an unlicensed vehicle and burst through the checkpoint to escape from the police. Thus an incident of a crimininal background, not a nationalistic one.

We went via Hirbat Tiwani to take a look at digging operations and then made our way back home.

Translated by Charles K.

We entered through the Meitar crossing today as well. Not much traffic on Highway 60, but the traffic police are active.

Hebron

Only M., our driver, is asked for an ID card at the entrance to Kiryat Arba. Our attempts to present ours were rejected. We were told to park off to the side until the guard made a call to receive permission to let us in.

Giv’at Avichai is still there, 11 buildings and vehicles.

Most of the route was relatively quiet, many pupils in the streets (exams are underway and school ends early). We were really astounded to see the path marked in blue and white by the Trail Marking Committee (on the way up to the Cordova school). It was tempting to take it, but in view of the experience of our colleagues in recent days, we refrained.

Tel Rumeida – Golani soldiers don’t want to speak to us; they don’t really seem to understand who we are.  We returned to the car.  Two buses carrying Israeli visitors park at the entrance to the road; one of the drivers explains to the soldiers who we are: “They’re worse than Arabs,” with a wave of his hand.

On the way down we met a group from “Breaking the Silence.”  They said they also want to go up the stairs to “Cordova,” and that it’s necessary to insist, to try again and again.

Many visitors in the area of the Cave of the Patriarchs – Israelis and others.  Today, as it happens, the music comes from the muezzin.

A-Tuwani

We stopped at A-Tuwani, saw the excavations and mosaic Leah Shakdiel referred to, and Nasser showed us a calling card from a group called “Emek Shaveh.”  It’s apparently headed by a person named Yonatan Mizrahi; we immediately saw on the internet that he deals with “Archaeology in the shadow of the conflict”: an effort to build bridges between communities. It would be worth getting to know them; maybe they can be useful.

Nasser is worried that if the excavations continue as planned his home may be damaged, and, of course, their request to be connected to a water line depends on the excavations!!

We visited the small museum and shop.

guests: Shahar and Ellen.

Sansana-Meitar

By 7:30am the checkpoint is clear and only a few workers waited for employers on the Israeli side together with one bus for prisoners' families.

Route 60

Clear and we hardly saw a military vehicle or soldiers.

 Hebron

We stopped at the Tarpat checkpoint where some TIPH internationals were crossing without checking. We asked whether this was the rule and after a lot of mumbling the soldier declared that he only answered what he wanted to. We thanked him for his courtesy and proceeded  up the hill to Tel Romeida. Here a large sign welcomes visitors in Hebrew to military position X (I don't recall the no. and didn't get a chance to photograph it). We decided to show our guests the cage house at Jewish Tel Romeida, but were politely accosted by an officer who agreed to let us pass on condition we didn't try to go beyond that eyesore. However, one of our party took it into her head to proceed whereupon an irate settler leapt from his car and decided to throw us out. The officer reappeared and with polite rudeness(!) shuttled us down the hill for all the world like a hen with ducklings. He refused to allow us to speak until he had finished telling us off for provoking - just who or what was not clear. He cautioned us not to even think of enterng the Jewish cemeteries, which we anyway had no intention of doing. The truth though is that we had no need to beard the settlers in their lair 0 enogh having to deal with them in the public arena. As to the officer, either a lieutenant or a captain, he clearly wanted to avoid a scene - his lordly attitude is part of the infinite power that the army wields and which, unfortunately, doesn't end in the occupied territories but carries over when they return to civilian life.

We then proceeded to Khirbet Al Tuwant where, as Lea Shakdiel has reported, an exciting archeological find purports to be a synagogue from the Second Temple Period.  We met Suleiman Salem ElOndra (?) also known as Nasser, on whose land the excavation is taking place. His house also serves as a sort of community center with a photographic record of the harrassment suffered in the village by settlers from the nearby outposts and settlements.  Thre is also a women's orgamization selling embroidery and crafts.  The history of the dig is as follows: the villagers requested the Civil Administration to connect them to the main water system. The CA agreed but declared that the dig must take place first and only when it is complete can the connection to the water pipeline be maid.  As Lea points out, when there is a dig at a settlement it is no obstancle to the preparation of infrastructure, but here of course the situation is different.  Tuwanis is famous for the fact that the neighbouring village of Tuba sends its children to school there and because of the frequent harrasment and attacks by settlers on the youngsters, they must be accompanied by internationals and/or the army. Not long ago I visited in Soroka Hospital an international volunteer who was beaten and left of dead by settlers.

And to the dig:  according to Ellen who is a tour guide who specialises in archeology - there are clear signs of a Byzantine floor and secondary buildings probably from the Muslim period. However, she also pointed out some remains that seemd to her typical of the Second Temple period, possibly steps leading to a ritual bath (mikveh).  Nasser also took us to another site in the village where his sister has set up house in a cave to protect her land while the excavation goes on.  The dig includes two oil presses and two caves that could indeed be burial chambers from the second temple period.  The question is, so what?  The sad thing is that if this is indeed an interesting archeologoical site instead of bringing economic benefit to the village in the form of tourism, it will bring them more conflict with settlers and their supporters bent on the judaization of the country, and the dispossession of the Palestinians. 
.  Hanna Barag and Yesh Din are planning to visit the site with an expert archeologist. To be continued....

Guest: Shachar

Translator:  Charles K.

Meitar crossing

Many laborers arrived despite the rain and fog. They’re waiting on the Israeli side of the crossing for their employers to pick them up

Route 60.

Nothing out of the ordinary along the road.  The weather affects everyone.

Hebron

The security guard at the entrance to Kiryat Arba again asks who we are, and we again must remind him that we’re all citizens with equal rights [that’s what’s written, at least] and that it’s unacceptable to demand an ID only from someone who doesn’t look Jewish. Again he explains that he has the authority and instructions from the police to ask for IDs.  Again he calls “big brother;” what a quixotic battle in one of the bastions of Israeli racism.  We’ll continue; even stones are worn away by water. 

Golani soldiers in the town since last Thursday. Their signs stand out at the base at the entrance to town.

Rain, fog and bone-chilling cold.

Hagit and Shachar again walk along the new apartheid path which is marked similarly to those of the Nature Protection Society, indicating the shortcut for residents of Tel Rumeida, beginning at the stairs up to the Cordova school/

I remain with our driver because of what has happened in the past; it’s not a good idea to leave him alone here.

They, of course, run into a soldier who reminds them that this path is restricted to the Jewish residents of Tel Rumeida.  And, of course…a bottle is thrown at them from one of the trailers.

That’s how it ends this time.  Otherwise, nothing special occurred.

Next to one of the houses along the road down from Tel Rumeida to the Tarpa”t checkpoint we met a man who lives there.  He’s a physician working in town, in the H1 area. 

“Everything is ok,” he says.  “It’s hard, of course, that I can’t drive my car from home to the hospital,” but everything is ok.

Everything is deserted and closed down, even – by and large - around the Cave of the Patriarchs.  There are always Jewish visitors coming in groups, despite the weather.

We drove home via the Tarqumiya crossing. 

Highway 35

Quiet and deserted.  The soldiers came down from the pillbox next to the grocery but haven’t detained anyone.

At Tarqumiya they’re as “nice” as ever.  Again the questions – who are we, where did we come from.  Again asking to see only M’s ID.  We insist they check ours also.  Again they send us to the inspection area on our right.  They open and inspect the car.  Again they ask for our IDs.  The inspector smiles apologetically.  “Orders.”  “Can’t she exercise any discretion?” we ask.  Can’t you see we’re not security risks?  A shrug.  “Do you also ask residents of Telem and Adura for IDs?”

“Yes,” she replies grudgingly.  Why don’t we believe her?

Trans. by Jenny L.

It's raining

The vineyards are leafless

The occupation continues.

Because of the foggy weather and the Channukah holiday, life around here gets off to a late start. The flow of vehicles is very light and even the people are barely visible. We asked Simya inhabitants how they were getting on as we had heard of the intention to demolish buildings there. "So far, no," they tell us. We'll keep in touch.

The IDF bulldozers are working. Here, they are gathering asphalt shavings, which they'll use to "occupy" some area. There, next to the road to Negohot they are preparing a new firing range. The path to the outpost on top of the hill above us is still muddy. The time's not yet ripe to pave it. Only vehicles with front wheel drive can make the ascent. The soldiers are freezing but politely answer our questions.

Hebron

Dozing. We're pleased to see that the posters that a settler pasted up a week week ago along the road leading down from Tel Romeida and along Shuheda Street have been removed. Has someone decided to make things here a little more orderly? Now no-one will know of the historical right that settlers claim for this place and of the injustice that Israeli laws have perpetrated on them. Would that it were so? Until the next time.

We decided to go and buy the excellent pita bread, which has no parallel elsewhere. One has to cross H2, The Pharmacy checkpoint, to walk 50 meters to the bakery. There have been occasions when soldiers understood that we were not endangering "peace" in the area and allowed us to pass. Not today. "It's dangerous," they said, "and if anything happens to you we would be held responsible." Nevertheless they call their superiors to ask permission to let us through. A female soldier's voice can be heard: "[Machsom]Watch women? Give them a kick in the ass and get them out'a here," she shouts. The soldier, who is more embarrassed than we are when he realises we have heard what she said, mutters something about the mood she's in this morning and goes. We do too. The "righteous" soon have their work done by others. Local people returning from the bakery willingly sell us the pitas they had bought and go back to buy more for themselves.

There are no delays at the checkpoints; nothing special happened. We can leave town. Terhe's also very little IDF presence along the road in the direction of Shayuch. We headed for home on route 356. We saw nothing new there either.

How wonderful!""

Translated by Jenny L.

Today we also entered via the Meitar Crossing checkpoint with the intention of getting an impression of the story of uprooted olive trees. We stopped at the side of the road below the illegal outpost Eshtamo'a and crossed the road to get a look albeit from a distance at the orchard, part of which had been uprooted. Hardly a moment passed and from the outpost above 7 or 8 of the inhabitants already came running down, looking in our direction, with one of them making waving signs clearly implying that we should get away; get lost. At the same time, a soldier speedily ran onto the scene and when he reached the edge of the mountain aimed his weapon at us. We spontaneously all made our way back to our car so as not to further escalate the situation. We continued in the direction of Hebron, and on the way stopped at the entrance to Ngohot to talk to a group of soldiers with a jeep. We reported the incident to the officer and he promised to look into it.

Next to the southern entrance to Hebron, (which is blocked by boulders), the Israel Road Authority is carrying out roadworks.

Hebron

A group of young tourists with a local guide met us at Abed's place. They are from France, Brazil and Canada and plan tomorrow to be in Bethlehem for Christmas. We're all invited up to Abed's house to talk to the guests, accompanied by a "Maklouba" feast. The show interest and we try to explain.

The plaza near the Patriachs' Cave is busier than ever, what with it being both Channukah and almost Christmas Eve, with many tourists about...

A very short visit with Azam, then we again turn south.

We travel to the Metsudat Yehuda crossing, which is near to Beit Yatir, in order to see the children who cross over from school to their homes over the border, on the Israeli side (the Abu-Gavita family), but we missed them. Nevertheless it was important for us to talk to the shift manageress at the crossing, who openly explained: "We've several times requested that they stop checking the children (in total, some 15) who cross there on a daily basis. So far the orders are to continue checking them." According to her - if we want to - we can apply to "Ramim" [Acronym for "Land Crossings Authority", subject to the Ministry of Defense].

We returned to Israel via the Meitar Crossing, and again we enjoyed the easy, positive approach that is so different to that at the Tarqumiya checkpoint.

"Happy" holidays.

Sansana-Meitar

Checkpoint is clear. A long line of trucks waits at the check-out and seems to move quickly.

Route 60

Lively but there sure are some lousy drivers around here, Israelis and Palestinians alike.
 

Bani Naim: We came here first: a large village close to Hebron where settlers had defaced a mosque.  We found the mosque alright but at first couldn't locate the damage until the Imam appeared (the grapevine really works out there!) and showed us a side wall where the scarlet letters were already obliterated by -- more red paint. (see photos).  The imam and his people thought the perpetrators came from Yitzhar but its more likely that this was a local job. It should be said that the Imam and his companions received us most graciously, explalined patiently to the three (!) translators - among whom Netanya shone out with her Arabic  - and they even embarassingly thanked us for coming.  Netanya expressed our regrets for the vandalism.

Um Farqa is our next stop: a tiny, desolate hamlet between Tuwani and the Maon settlement where the Civil Administration had destroyed the mosque, several residential buildings and a room that had been added on to a cave dwelling, as well as all the electricity poles between the village and Tuwani. Iin the process  destroying the peace of this impoverished place.  The Sheik kindly gave us a tour of the devastation (see pics of mosque rubble). At one point a figure was seen striding across the hills from Tuwani. The locals froze on the spot and only relaxed when it transpired that this was an "Arab".  The fear of the Lords of the Land lies heavy in these parts, and with good reason.
Two girls from the village were arrested during the demolition, however they were released and the trial of the older one, Souan, took place on 19.12.11 - please see Ehud Krinis' report circulated on the reshet.

Next stop on this other planet was Givat HaAntenna - Antenna Hill, another desolate spot not far from Hebron. A smooth road leads up to the hilltop, not paved but clearly rolled out with heavy equipment. This was the site of the murder of two guards (guarding the antenna) and has been turned into a memorial for them. (see photos with their names),  The hilltop boasts a (tattered) Israeli flag and a little gazebo which announces itself as a place of prayer. In the middle of the gazebo is something that looks suspiciously like a sacrificial altar, but it may be a bima for a Torah scroll, to be fair.  A small plot of ploughed earth lies close by: watch this spot for a new outpost may sprout up here one of these days.  This is how these things begin...And judging by the amount of garbage lying around the place is well used.

Finally, for how could we not get our weekly fix of ghtost town, a quick spin around Hebron. Two Border policepeople (a man and a woman) munching snadwiches and drinking coke at the entrance/exit to the Worshippers Alley,  On Shuhada street several men in shorts are jogging incongruously, while a platoon (?) of paratroopers patrols the street with drawn weapons, showing the natives who is in charge. At the Cordoba school steps which are now marked as a national monument, a group of elderly Jews is strugglling upwards, some of them give up and come down again while an energetic guide jolly's them on.  Clearly, the intention is to drive the  Cordoba people out of their minds by making a nature reserve out of their neighbourhood, and no doubt eventually they will give in and go away, or perhaps not. Maybe the steps will prove too much for the elderly tourists and the Ministry of Education will have to make it a compulsory route for School certificate completion.

Thursday, 22.12.11

Netanya and I joined a Shovrim Shtika/Breaking the Silence tour of Hebron (that's reall addiction!) - fascinating since we went in under police protection, were only harassed (by the police) three times for our ID's and once by a paratrooper, who agreed to compromise and see the identification only of the guide. We  peeped into the Casbah - desolate and deserted, climbed up to Jewish Tel-Romeida where our 'protectors' abandoned us by the so-called 'Cage House' and we took the roundabout route that Palestinians are forced to use to reach their homes nearby.  Very picturesque and rather beautiful with really ancient olive trees but heaven help anyone taken ill, in labour, carrying heavy bags or coming home at night - no vehicle access is possible and the ground is thick with tree roots, stones and the inevitable garbage all waiting to trip you up.  It was salutory to be reminded of the historic development of the Jewish settlement in Hebron and hear again the details of government and army policy of closure-checkpoint-curfew that has made the city of Abraham a ghost town.  The tour lasted three and a half hours and is highly recommended to anyone interested in knowing the minutae of how the occupation works and of which Hebron is merely the outstanding example.  We also met Anat Cohen but she was berating a paratrooper (they seem to be the people on the ground currently) and we were able to evade direct contact.
 

Translator:  Charles K.

In the midst of the disturbing silence we again examined the path between the apartheid stairs to the Cordova School to the neighborhood of the Tel Rumeida settlers, where a sign is posted restricting its use to Jews.

The soldiers are quiet today.

Suddenly a settler appears, coming down the road.  He pastes a poster on the decorated concrete wall which attempts to hide Hebron, the lively city at the foot of the hill. The poster recounts the injustice committed by the government against the settlers by limiting the Jewish settlement in the Hebron, compared to the excessive rights granted to the Palestinians. The soldier watching him talks on the phone about what the settler is doing.  In response to my question, the soldier says he’s obligated to report any such activity no matter who does it, and he’s checking to see whether the man is entitled to paste up the poster.  We learned something.

The unfortunate Cossack pastes up a second poster, this time on Shuhada Street, not far from Gross Square.  It explains why the adjoining shop had been closed.  We kept our eye on this energetic man.  He’d already reached the Cave of the Patriarchs and was preparing to paste up another poster containing the settlers’ pearls of wisdom.  To our surprise, Border Police soldiers prohibit him from doing so.  The order “came down,” arriving after he’d pasted the two previous posters.

We met Yehuda Shaul, from “Breaking the Silence,” who had come to show some VIP around.  We suggested he go look at the new posters.

The poor settlers have to convince people that their actions are justified.  They seem to feel they’re now really under attack.

A cup of tea with ‘Abed revives us somewhat and we leave this city.

We returned via Highway 317 and reached the Metzudat Yehuda checkpoint.  Merchandise crosses here, a few Jews and some Palestinian families living near Beit Yatir.  We waited in vain for the pupils.  Today, as it happened, they finish very late, and we can’t wait.  But once again we were exposed to the settlers’ behavior:  “Who are you?  What are you doing here?,” asks a settler passing by who stops next to us.  “Why should we answer you?”  “I wanted to invite you for coffee.”  How nice; really, really sweet!  He waves goodbye and drives on.  Who among us would dare ask a passer-by at the entrance to our town what he’s up to?!  The lords of the land are convinced it’s their right and their duty.

Meanwhile, cars go by.  The Jews are stopped, greeted and then drive on.

A Palestinian family arrives; since it’s one of the few permitted to cross into Israel, they’re certainly known to the soldiers.  They’re asked for ID cards, and their vehicle is inspected.