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

Tags: Ramadan
Observers: Raya Y. Translator: Natanya
May-13-2020
| Afternoon

In the afternoon we tried to enter Area C through Negohot. We were told by two soldiers that the crossing is only for the residents of Negohot and those of  the surrounding area. I tried to convince the soldiers to let us pass but did not succeed. So we had to go to the Meitar checkpoint.

The parking area in the Area A is completely vacant and we only saw a small number of private vehicles. There are no taxis, no dealers, no workers and only a small number of trucks.

On Road 60 there is little traffic in the late afternoon.

At the El Fawwar-Dura intersection (Abraham Junction) there is relative quiet. Four soldiers patrol round the pillbox. Two soldiers stand in the middle of the square inside a building watching the sparse vehicle traffic. The locals are in their homes and not around. The sheep in Al Fawwar are free.

On our way we met a merchant from Dahariya who went to arrange personal affairs. We asked what was going on in his town. We got an answer: Most stores are closed. There are no buyers because Israelis are forbidden entry. The locals do not go out to work, are very afraid of the Coorna and have no money. These are not happy Ramadan days. But Inshallah is hoping for better days than these.

Today, in the village of Simia received demolition orders for the school. The school was built so that the children in grades 1 and 3 would not have to cross Highway 60 twice a day.

  • 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.
  • 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

       

       

      סימיא: פרחאן ואשתו בביתם
      Daphna Jung
      Mar-16-2025
      Simia: Farhan and his wife
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