Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Wed 5.3.08, Afternoon
12:30-15:30
Meitar crossing – empty
Highway 60
While driving the road we see 4 military jeeps patrolling the area.
Dura- El-Fawar crossing – Open to pedestrians, otherwise blocked.
Sheep Crossing – No army.
Hebron
13:15: Military jeep is near the Disputed House. No one passing through the Pharmacy Checkpoint. More than the usual number of soldiers is seen on the streets.
Tarpat Ceckpoint – 2 soldiers, one says it is quiet today. Young children returning from school, one child about 7 who knows the rules takes out his metal pencil box before going through the metal detector. The crossing is relatively slow. The soldiers see that the Palestinians go through one at a time. There is only one passage for both in and out, so when people are waiting to move in one direction, the other is closed.
Old man with a donkey loaded down with products and gas containers waits about 10 minutes, so that one of the soldiers will allow him to pass. Since there are only 2 soldiers, the line is growing longer. In order the get the donkey through the checkpoint, the man has to unload the beast, go through, and load him up again on the other side.
13:40 – we walk by foot up the steep path to Tel Rumeida, a path only open to Israelis.On the way we see a meter-wide gap in the wall that separate H1 from H2, through which anyone can easily pass.
In Tel Rumeida checkpoint, older women’s bags are checked, but not those of children. On the way to the Patriarch Cave we went into the Abraham-Avinu Neighborhood to see the house surrounded by a wall, which looks like the separation wall. The wall, covered with graffiti, like “Death to the Arabs” is high and solid, so it is impossible to see that there is a residential building behind it.
At the Patriarch’s Cave checkpoint no one is delayed.
Route 317 – the entrance to Yatta which was closed last week is now open.
Zif Junction – open
Sansana, still no workers are passing through (time is 15:20).
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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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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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