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Dura-Al Fawwar Junction, Hakvasim (sheep) Junction, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills, Zif Junction

Tags: Ramadan
Observers: Nili, Hagit (report and photos);Translator: Tal H.
Jul-06-2016
| Morning

Around Hebron
 

We went on this shift heavy-hearted: nothing, not even the Occupation, justifies the heinous murder of a young girl asleep in her room.

Collective punishment as it is carried out now is morally and practically unacceptable.
It will only heighten hatred.

We decided not to enter Hebron itself but rather see what goes on around it.

At Meitar Checkpoint – less vehicles in the car park. We didn’t know whether to attribute this to the final days of Ramadan or to the revoking of massive numbers of Palestinians’ permits to enter Israel. It’s worth following-up.

The encirclement in the West Bank works in two ways:

  • Unmanned barriers and gates
  • Manned checkpoints

The barrier protagonist is… the bulldozer.

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And this is what it does:

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This is what we saw around all the Palestinian localities on roads 317, 358, 60 and 35 – Bani Na’im, Deir Razek, Karame, Khirbet Tuwane, Abde, Dirat and others.

Wherever there are gates – they are closed.

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People cross on foot from one side of the junction to the other, and board taxis that stand waiting at the other side.

This was how things worked in Dura Al Fawwar, Beit ‘Anun, Zif Junction, Bani Na’im and Beit Kahil.

At Dahariya, the Olive Crossing, the Sheep Junction, Samo’a and Beit Hagai soldiers stand at the exits and allow vehicles through only after inspection. This results in long waiting lines.

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The spring pool near Dura-Al Fawwar is deserted.

Below Deir Razek remains are still visible of the car that crashed upside down after being shot at.

Soldiers are positioned on the hills above road 60, standing guard over it.

The general feeling is somber, offended and fearful.

No Happy Holiday here, and no end in sight.

  • Dura Al-Fawwar Junction

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    • 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.
  • Hakvasim (sheep) Junction

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    • One of the roadblocks (earthworks, rocks, concrete blocks or iron gates) that prevent transit of vehicles to Route 60 in the southern West Bank and block the southern entrance to Hebron. A manned pillbox supervises the place.
  • 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
  • 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

       

       

      פוקיקיס - נערים מתנחלים מגיעים עם עדר ומטרידים את בני המשפחה
      A Palestinian resident
      Jun-9-2025
      Fuqiqis - Settler boys arrive with a herd and harass family members
  • Zif Junction

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    • Zif Junction located on the crossroads that directs towards Road 356 to Yata. Yata is the district city of the southern Hebron Mountains. Usually, this junction is open to traffic. The nearby pillbox is unmanned. But the army and police are present occasionally, sometimes setting up a checkpoint and sometimes detaining residents from the big city. Often,  the Israeli policemen inspect vehicles and distribute driving reports to Palestinian vehicles. s
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