Hebron, South Hebron Hills
10:00-14:00
Sad, depressed, despondent, cheerless, bleak, pessimistic – that’s how I felt during today’s shift.
And I thought – If that’s how I feel, the Palestinians must feel even worse. They’re not only wretched but also humiliated, and they don’t stop saying – where are you?
You begin to feel depressed when you see this pasted everywhere:
The feeling continues when you see a bulldozer blocking the entrance to Dair Razih:
What’s closed, what’s open
At Dahariya, Samu’a, Bani Na’im west, Ha’zayit crossing there are neither roadblocks nor soldiers. ‘Abda, Karameh, Bani Na’im south, Dair Razih, Khirbet Tuwanni – mounds of earth. Beit ‘Anun – closed, no soldiers. Kvasim junction, Yatta, Beit Haggai – open, checkpoints with soldiers.
Here’s what Dura al-Fawwar looks like:
The army closed the gates, the Palestinians try to find alternate routes and then the army stops them and from time to time fires smoke grenades at them.
It’s cold. The Palestinians are without coats, afraid the soldiers will think they’re carrying knives and kill them. They say to me: don’t talk to us, talk to the soldiers, tell them to stop. They’re furious, but repress their rage.
We entered Hebron with no problems today, nor did settlers follow us. It’s now exam time and the children finish school at 9:30 AM. Hebron is more deserted than ever. I saw at least four cases when soldiers stopped and searched young men – everyone’s walking around without a coat. New checkpoints were established below Giv’at Ha’avot. There’s a soldier there guarding the Hazon David synagogue which was rebuilt even though the Supreme Court determined the land must be returned to its Palestinian owner. The Civil Administration conducted a census at Tel Rumeida and entry is prohibited to non-residents. I entered the grocery briefly and all the soldiers from the checkpoint followed me – the Palestinians looked frightened so I gave up and left.
On both sides of Highway 35 that divides Halhul from Hebron soldiers walk through the vineyards with weapons drawn…
Shall we live by the sword forever?
Hebron
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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
Raya YeorDec-18-2025Hebron - Yusri Jaber and part of his family
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South Hebron Hills
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South Hebron Hills
South Hebron Hills is a large area in the West Bank's southern part.
Yatta is a major city in this area: right in the border zone between the fertile region of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants.
The surrounding villages are called Masafer Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.Since the beginning of the 1980s, many settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with withholding water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.
There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Roadblocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.
Updated April 2022
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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