The Meitar checkpoint looks terrible.  Piles of refuse everywhere.  On the Palestinian side sanitation workers from Dahariyya are employed.  But the responsibility is Israel’s.

Plastic garbage bags “decorate” images of the fence.  The landscape created by the wall and the fence, in addition to the new caged area, is depressing as usual.

There are few people crossing at this hour, primarily merchants and some who hope to find work.  A merchant from Gaza, with all the necessary permits, seeks assistance for his wife who had suddenly been denied entry.  He doesn’t understand why, since they work together selling clothing and utensils.  I gave him the contact information for our friends in “Gisha.”  I hope they’re able to help him.

Highway 60 is quiet.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Only at the Dura al Fawwar junction were the soldiers out of the pillbox, guarding the road.

Hebron

The occupation routine.

We went to see what’s new in the Kiryat Arba park built in honor of Baruch Goldstein.  It’s still not finished.  I wonder what it will finally look like.

A group of tourists is hearing explanations in English and French about the settlements in Hebron.

Many Border Policewomen near the Cave of the Patriarchs.

A tourist group from southeast Asia enters through the door for Moslems.  Many wear face masks.

We visited Idris, who lives beside the spring sacred to Jews, and was injured more than once by settlers.  His personal history includes tales of helping and saving Jewish children and adults.  They can be found on the website.  He says things have been quiet recently.  He’s finished plowing his grove of ancient olive trees.

A few days ago tourists showed up; their guide told them how he’d saved a yeshiva student from being lynched, and how he’d returned Anat Cohen’s young son who’d disappeared in the casbah, and other stories as well.

Idris speaks for peace loving residents of Hebron who oppose all violence, from all sides, and demonstrates this every day.