Khursa - the village with a pillbox in its midst
We left through Meitar Checkpoint. The parking was full on both sides with Palestinian vehicles. The traders do not come to the checkpoint. Because there is no coordination, there are no more permits on paper notes. Adults over 55 are also not allowed to cross.
We decided to go back to Khursa, the village where the pill box stands planted in the center. Along the way we saw the remains of a fire near Eshtamoa, probably the fire that raged there on 5.6, when the residents were evacuated from their homes. According to the settlers, the fire was caused intentionally and also caused the water and electricity to be cut off from the locality.
Further down road 60, entrances to Samo’, Abda and Deir Razih are open. We also did not notice any army presence along the way.
In Khursa , the residents seem to have become accustomed to pillbox and checkpoints on both its sides, which do not allow cars access to the Diwan and direct passage between parts of the village. The diwan looked deserted and abandoned, though a week earlier, a wedding had been held there.
It seems that the only thing the residents have control of is to hoist Palestinian flags in front of the Israeli symbol of control.
We talked to Taufik Shahaki who lives in front of the pillbox in his vineyard. There the occupation is not felt so much, it is a little bit of heaven. He said there were no special events in the last period. We talked about Iyad al-Halak and Taufik told about the arrests of young people for which there had been no particular reason.
We returned to Route 60 and at the Meitar checkpoint where someone added some pink color to the occupation.
Meitar checkpoint / Sansana
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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
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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
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