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Dura-Al Fawwar Junction, Sa’ir, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills

Tags: Ramadan
Observers: Michal T.; Translator: Mike S.
Jun-14-2016
| Afternoon

The South Hebron Hills

We leave home at midday due to the constraints of Ramadan. It is extremely hot today.

Immediately after the Meitar checkpoint, on the first section of Road No 60, policemen protected by the army stop a car with Israeli number-plates and remove Palestinians from it – only to check that everything is in order : licenses, ownership etc.

That’s how it always is here M explains when I ask him why the army has to be there with the police.

Because of time limitations we drive to Shuyukh-Sa’ir without entering Hebron, and return via Road No 317. 

Along the whole length of Road No 60 all the blocks are open, and all the entrances to Hebron are operating as usual. 

In Sham’a the new neighbourhood has been completed.  Also in Otniel the building of a new suburb is advertised.  The main point is that the Israeli People should know that there are no building permits in the settlements.

In a spring, which is almost dry, next to the entrance to Al-Pawwar ,people are trying to fill bottles with water. . .

The entrance to Shuyukh and from there to Hebron is also open but the concrete blocks with the Israeli flag painted on them still “decorate” the entrance. 

On Road No 317, it is possible to see that the main entrances to Yatta are open today but precisely those which are improvised on the cliff are blocked again and again with piles of stones.  One can see exactly  the struggle by the authorities to close each time anew  what the people are opening in order to enter and leave when the gates are closed.

Everyone is hurrying to go home early and complete their purchases of food for “Iftar” (the meal which ends the daily fast).

Happy holiday ?

  • Dura Al-Fawwar Junction

    See all reports for this place
    • Junction on Route 60: west - the town of El Dura, east - the Al Fawwar refugee camp. There is a manned pillbox  at the junction. From time to time the army sets up flying checkpoints at the entrance to El Fawwar and Al Dura. Al-Fawwar is a large refugee camp (7,000 inhabitants in 2007) established in 1949 to accommodate Palestinian refugees from Be'er Sheva and Beit Jubrin and environs. There are many incidents of stone-throwing. In the vicinity of the pillbox there are excellent agricultural areas, Farmers set up stalls adjacent to the plots close to the road. In recent months the civil administration  has set up dirt embankments thereby blocking access to the stalls, and making it impossible for the farmers to sell their vegetables. Updated April 2021, Michal T.
  • Meitar checkpoint / Sansana

    See all reports for this place
    • Meitar Checkpoint / Sansana The checkpoint is located on the Green Line and serves as a border crossing between Israel and the West Bank. It is managed by the  Border Crossing Authority of the Defense Ministry. It is comprised of sections for the transfer of goods as well as a vehicle checkpoint (intended for holders of blue identity cards, foreign nationals or diplomats and international organizations). Passing of Palestinians is prohibited, except for those with entry permits to Israel. Palestinians  are permitted to cross on foot only. The crossing  has a DCO / DCL / DCL / DCL (District Coordination  Office), a customs unit, supervision, and a police unit. In the last year, a breach has been opened  in the fence, not far from the crossing. This breach is known to all, including the army. There does not appear to be any interest in blocking it, probably as it permits needed Palestinian workers without the bureaucratic permits to get to work in Israel. Food stalls and a parking area economy have been created, but incidents of violent abuse by border police have also been recorded. Updated April 2022
  • Sa'ir

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    • A relatively affluent suburb of Palestinian Hebron. West of Highway 60 leading from Bethlehem to Hebron. The entrance to Highway 60 and to Shuyukh and Beit Einun to the east is open, but is subject to changes - concrete blocks denying passage are stationed according to the needs of the army.

       

  • 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

       

       

      אצל משפחת נאסר בוואדי ראס אל-ג'רפאן
      Muhammad D.
      Jan-4-2026
      At the Nassar family in Wadi Ras al-Jerfan
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