Dura-Al Fawwar Junction, Hakvasim (sheep) Junction, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
We arrived at the Meitar checkpoint at a quarter past six. The images are like those of the Third World, but the checkpoint works as it should, and apart from the dirt and ugliness, no one has any complaints, except for a few older Palestinian workers who want to pass through before eight and they are not allowed to do so. At seven the families go through to visit the prisoners. The administrator came to remove us from the area (the Palestinian side of the checkpoint) when he saw the cameras photographing Leah who was explaining to the students what the checkpoint was about.
The picture below shows the chaos that there is in the mornings.
On our way back we saw the illegal workers and how the wall does not bother them.
In the picture below: The gates of Hursa.
A little further down next to the girls’ school there are gates which close at the whim of the big brother. Last week they were closed and a protest broke out. Today only the gates in the picture are closed.
B’stelem will give them cameras.
After Hursa we returned to road 60. Soldiers are stationed on both sides of the road at Abda.
At the crossroads of Dura Al Fawwar there is a checkpoint and also army jeeps ready to disperse demonstrations. The schools close earlier and then stones are thrown. Also next to the pool of the spring is an army vehicle for dispersing demonstrations. A chekcpoint at the Sheep Crossing, at the entrance to Bani Naiem there is a checkpoint and a military vehicle.
But the real story of the day is what happened at the checkpoint of the 160 turning.
When we got there, there were riots and clusters of schoolchildren on the other side of the checkpoint and many children on the other side. The soldiers had arrested a boy of 13. When we tried to find out what had happened, Tal, the soldier, called Leah a traitor, a passing settler told me that I am the scum of the human race. Tal was very aggressive and tried to send us back and photographed me. Meanwhile, the teachers came from school and tried to persuade the soldiers to let the boy go. I tried to contact the Civil Administration that had no manpower to send. Tal did not give up, it seemed to us that if we left he might come down from his high horse. I went to the police station at the Cave of the Patriarchs and told them that the situation looked very volatile.
The Border Police shot more shots in the air and the conflagration intensifies.
While we were at Abed’s, the boy was taken to the police station in Givat Ha’avot. I was afraid that I would only make the situation worse, so I called Gabi Lasky who answered immediately and said the situation should be left to her. The child’s parents came to the police.
In the picture the routine of the occupation at Abed next to the Cave of the Patriarchs.
Our visitors photographed the entire shift and Leah.
The occupation comes out wonderfully when there is action. Horrible to be there when there is action.
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.
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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.
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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
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