Southern Hills of Hebron and Hebron, ‏2006–04–24Observers: Yeela L., Paula R. (reporting)06:45 – 09:45On our shift we encountered a number of people on several occasions that were detained for a long period of time (some over two hours). The BP soldiers did not bother to conceal that their purpose was sheer harassment. Especially angering was the case of the detainees at the junction between Shiuch and Hebron (the school of the girls) where the men were ordered to stand for a long period with their back to the road, and were forbidden to talk to us. Very few vehicles were seen on route 60.On our way to Hebron we saw on the dirt path from Karame toward road 60 a group of youngsters, boys and girls with the driver and a teacher, standing beside a transit car. Their destination was to reach school (in Doura) on time. But soldiers from the Lavie battalion stopped them from reaching the apartheid road and sent the identity cards of the driver and teacher to be checked. It took some 20 minutes. When we tried to intervene, a soldier said that “we do not make up the rules, and the regulations are not against those persons specifically. We do not enjoy this situation either, but complaints should be made against the authorities, not to us”. He has a point. HebronThe Pharmacy CP – We reached the CP a little before 8 o’clock, and most of the children had already passed. Some kids observed that the meganometer installation was not guarded and took the opportunity to cross the CP from the sideway. A soldier called them back, and one little child stopped and returned. The soldier checked his backpack, reprimanded him and sent him away.We met David from the EAPII. He told us how the settlers and “tourists” threw stones at them and beat some of them up. The soldiers intervened and helped them a little. These actions, he had the impression, were deliberate and planned. International constant observers are obviously not welcome there. The CP opposite the Shuhada street, near the shops – Soldiers of the Border Police detained for about an hour and a half some passers-by. The soldiers, and particularly their commander David Matan were extremely hostile, to us too, and would not talk to us. One detainee told us that he mentioned before the soldier that he had already been checked and released some minutes before, and it took only five minutes. “So, here you will stay for an hour and a half”, was the answer he got. And the soldier kept to his words, so powerful on the oppressed. We phoned their superiors, but after a quarter of an hour of our arrival they were released. Back to route 60 – Detainees at the junction of Shiuch – Hebron (the school of the girls) –On our way back, at the junction of the school of the girls, a group of about 15 men were detained by the soldiers of the BP, by the command of Shai Levy. They were standing there for about two hours with their backs to the road, and were forbidden to talk with us. He, Shay, would not let us talk to them (“hindering their functioning”), would not answer our questions, and took Ye’ela’s ID for checking to the amazement of the detainees. Cameramen from the Press told us that the people were detained randomly on their way, on foot, from Shiuch to Hebron. One told Ye’ela that he was a doctor. He was in a taxi and the driver stopped for one passenger to get off, and then they were all detained. Another man had been through an appendix operation just a week ago. We tried to phone to the DCO etc. Quarter an hour after we arrived they were released. A boy, whose bicycle was thrown in the middle of the road picked it up and rushed away. Ye’ela got her ID back.