Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
For various reasons we left this time at noon. Meitar was quite busy and the parking lot was full.
We spoke to someone from Deir Razih who said that the army comes to them all the time, stops construction work but has not yet demolished buildings. At the entrance to the dirt road leading to the place is the red sign warning against entering area A.
We drove to Khursa on the road leading to Negohot settlement from Road 60. At the side of the road stood an armored vehicle.
In Khursa we met Ali and when I asked how he was he looked at the pillbox and sighed. On the roof of the divan were added barbed wire but no one knows why. The architecture of the occupation.
From Khursa we continued to Simia and visited Farhan. From his house on the west side of Route 60 (where the Challenge 13 school was demolished several times), the demolition of Jamal Rawashda’s buildings can be seen. On Monday, Leah reported on demolition orders Jamal received for buildings that protected his livestock, those built on land owned by him. The appeal he filed against the demolition orders did not help.
I asked Farhan how they deal with the Corona. In Dura there is a special hospital for Corona patients and in Yatta there is a large hospital that provides medical services for the entire area of southern Mount Hebron. They have no shortage of tests for Corona.
Their school has 20 students in grades one through six, so there is no problem with overcrowding, and in larger communities, students study in capsules.
On the way back there was heavy traffic in both directions of Route 60 and we saw no barricades, perhaps because of the late hour.
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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