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

Observers: Ariela (reporting) and M.; Translator: Natanya
Jan-22-2019
| Morning

A long column of cars stretched  out  at the entrance to the Meitar checkpoint. It turned out that the buses of the authorities of

development of the southern Hebron hills blocked the road, trying to turn left on a white line to the grove before the checkpoint. The “Lords of the earth,” no law applies to them.

We drive on Route 60. At Eshtamoa you can see a bulldozer working energetically and we must follow up on what happens there afterwards.

The entrance to Dahariya is open. At the entrance to ‘Abda, the gate next to the pillbox is closed all the time.

At the Dura-El Fawwar junction, a Border Police jeep entered El Fawwar against the  traffic laws, and this without mentioning that El Fawwar is in Area A.

Opposite Kiryat Arba, an armored vehicle at the junction. Between Hebron and Halhul there is another military jeep standing on a cross roads.

Continue on Route 60 through the industrial zone of Beit Ummar and of course the pillbox from above observes everything from its top.

At the entrance to Zurif is an armored vehicle with red shoes sticking out from under it

On the way we pass the refugee campe of El Arrub which is behind the fences….that is to say in a cage.

We went on our way to Gush Etzion. At the crossroads there is another pillbox.

We went back along road 367 through the checkpoint of Jab’a where we were very carefully checked.

On the long route of road 60 we could not forget the occupation even for a moment.

  • 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

       

       

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