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

Observers: Nili, Hagit (reporting and photographing); Translator:  Charles K.
Jun-13-2016
| Morning

Yatta is surrounded.

Wednesday’s terrible attack in Tel Aviv, carried out by two young men from a large hamula in Yatta, led the army to surround Yatta.

Yatta is located in the Southern Hebron Hills, bounded by three highways – Highway 60 (there’s a road to Yatta at Kvasim junction), Highway 317 (the road near Susya and Khirbet Tuwwani) and Highway 356 from Bani Na’im to Yatta – the Zif junction road, the main entrance to Yatta.

During the Shavuot holiday, until 2 PM today, Yatta was surrounded.  The army opened the road to Meitar crossing via Dura and al Fawwar for workers with permits.

We left at midday for our shift and were happy to discover that half an hour prior to our arrival the bulldozer had worked hard to removed the barriers on Highways 356 and 60.  The barriers on Highway 317 remained in place.

Some photos:

Near Susya, below the army base.  It’s lucky that vacation has begun and teachers don’t have to go through there.  Otherwise they’d be like the car that’s stuck there.

 

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This is how the entrance to Yatta from Khirbet Tuwwani looks, and this is what it apparently looks like when someone tries to bypass the obstacles.

 

 

 

 

 

This is what Highway 356 looks like.

 

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Kvasim junction and Zif junction have been reopened.

 

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It was very hot.  We didn’t run into many people.  They’re hungry (Ramadan) and sad.  Those we met strongly criticized the attack; they fear Da’ash as much as they fear us.  They say it was Da’ash, not them.  The attackers weren’t freedom fighters.

  • 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

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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
  • 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

       

       

      הגדר והדגלים שהוקמו צמוד לשטח משפחת אבו שארח' ברהווה, דרום הר חברון
      Smadar Becker
      Feb-2-2026
      The fence and flags erected adjacent to the Abu Sharakh family's territory in Rahwa, southern Hebron Hills
  • 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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