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

Observers: Yehudit K.and M.D.
Mar-31-2019
| Morning

A regular Sunday, at least to begin with.  The usual pressure at Meitar checkpoint. at least 3-4 buses waiting to transport the prisoner’s families on visiting day, stragglers with no entry permits on the roadside and surprisingly light traffic on the roads in the pouring rain. Along Route 60 the usual checkpoints blocking the exits to the villages and towns: Dahariya, Abda, Khursa and Al Fuwwar, although the checking was quite brisk – even the soldiers dislike getting wet.

We decided to visit Khursa, a village  adjacent to the town of Dura.  As reported in the past, a year ago a checkpoint was            erected in the middle of a residential area, in front of the Diwan – the community meeting place where residents hold events from weddings through mourning ceremonies and everything in between. Today, a festive meal was planned for 13.00 but since a permit is required in advance for each event and no such permit had been requested, the army in the shape of a  young woman soldier insisted that the event be cancelled.  Together with the residents we always wondered what was the purpose of a 50 meter checkpoint, ostensibly in the middle of nowhere but today we understood. it is still not clear whether this is a farce or a tragedy.   

In act 1 the soldier, unarmed, bareheaded in her fatigues, and the organizer exchange words, the tones getting higher and higher.  We intervene, without result, in an attempt to solve the problem.  The soldier disappears, returning after 15 minutes in full battledress and with a similarly armed companion.  More argument.  No result.

Act2: we try via one of our members to telephone the DCO (the district liaison office between the army and the Palestinians) they don’t answer the ‘phone. Amazon soldier 1, wearing a full set of radio equipment, says she has no way of contacting the DCO.  We all hover round in great frustration and anger. Amazon 1 is seen to move away and speak into her telephone. After a few minutes, she declares that the permit has been granted but only for two hours.  Better than nothing, although it means eating fast and cutting down on speeches.  And then we understood: the purpose of this bizarre checkpoint is to rain on the parade – that is to spoil any celebration, wedding,  funeral , or a communal get together. In short any assertion of agency by the Palestinian population, just to show who is boss. In army language: preventing dangerous assembly.  Last week a wedding was almost ruined in the same way and in the same week a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the army post. Not surprising!

  • 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.
  • Khursa / Al Marajem

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    • Khursa / Al Marajam
      Khursa is a small village of about 2,500 inhabitants in Area A, on a hill on the way to Negohot settlement.  At the end of September 2017, a pillbox watchtower was set up in the heart of the village, adjacent to the village's diwan, which is a sort of community center for celebrations such as weddings, or used as mourning tent. The army declared the place a closed military zone. In 2018, we saw another aggravation: a barrier of about 50 m, which divides the road into two, and a prohibition on passing vehicles, and then also a prohibition on pedestrians, who have to walk around on a dirt road - during winter on a mud road. Since the checkpoint was established, the army has required special permits to hold an event in Diwan and the permits must be requested at least two days in advance. Of course, the dying are not always cooperative ...

      together with the villagers we wondered what the meaning of this strange barrier in Area A, which is supposed to be under full control of the Palestinian Authority. Conclusion: It seems that in order to secure the way to the Negohot,  the residents are forced to live with a closed military zone and a watchtower in the village center, and  suffer many restrictions. (From Watch Checkpoint reports).

      Recently, the Israeli authorities began, in the middle of the night, to pave a new bypass road from the nearby village Fuqeiqis to Negohot,  Trying to establish facts and aiming to enlarge the settlement.

      Updated in April 2021 by Anat T.
       

      שעב אל-בוטום - מתחם המגורים של משפחת נג'אר
      Michal Tsadik
      Jun-21-2026
      Sha'ab al-Butum - the residential complex of the Najjar family
  • 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

       

       

      שעב אל-בוטום - מתחם המגורים של משפחת נג'אר
      Michal Tsadik
      Jun-21-2026
      Sha'ab al-Butum - the residential complex of the Najjar family
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