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Hakvasim (sheep) Junction, Hebron, South Hebron Hills

Observers: Nili M., Hagit B. (reporting); Translation: Chana S.
Jun-29-2015
| Morning

 

Ramadan atmosphere in Hebron and people seem more relaxed.
 
On the roads we travelled we did not see military vehicles, apart from a police vehicle that was fining Palestinian motorists without mercy. We saw this vehicle at Tsomet haKvasim, Tsomet Bet Hagai, opposite Har Manoah …
 
the news today is that they have removed the stones blocking the entrance to Hebron from Bene Na'im.  We travelled through it..
the soldiers of the Dukhifat battalion that are now manning Hebron were not to be seen at the checkpoints Border Police have replaced them. A group of Ulpana female students from Kiryat Arba arrived at the base with their teacher, bringing cakes.  A number of times have we commented on this symbiosis with the army.
 
The road has changed in appearance enormously in the ten-plus years that i have monitored in the Hebron area.  Some things stay constant – for instance, the graffiti (photographed here) in Kikar Gross in Hebron.
cid:595BA069-B32A-4C58-A984-802B5A7F2CF8
 
David HaMelekh Street and not HaShuhada ..
 
At the checkpoint at the Pharmacy (Machsom Beth Merkahat), Palestinian cars are rarely allowed to pass 
 
cid:582A4084-34C3-400A-A1AD-78888029964B
 
At Beth HaMeriva, they have removed the checker and left the flag.  The soldiers remain on the roof of the building.
 
 
At the neighbouring mosque there is a funeral.  The participants cannot approach in their vehicles.  they park next to the grey gate.The deceased will be buried in the cemetery next to Beth HaMeriva.  She is the aunt of our acquaintance Bassam.
 
cid:AD15B773-AE0A-401F-B4F6-DB3F2F9765BE
 
Palestinians are now growing their summer crops …
 
 
 
We were offered cucumbers..
.
 
At two o'clock  as we were returning home the first of the workers were coming home.  On ramadan they work a shorter day..

  • Hakvasim (sheep) Junction

    See all reports for this place
    • 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.
  • Hebron

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    • According to Wye Plantation Accords (1997), Hebron is divided in two: H1 is under Palestinian Authority control, H2 is under Israeli control. In Hebron there are 170,000 Palestinian citizens, 60,000 of them in H2. Between the two areas are permanent checkpoints, manned at all hours, preventing Palestinian movement between them and controlling passage of permit holders such as teachers and schoolchildren. Some 800 Jews live in Avraham Avinu Quarter and Tel Rumeida, on Givat HaAvot and in the wholesale market.

       

      Checkpoints observed in H2:

       

      1. Bet Hameriva CP- manned with a pillbox
      2. Kapisha quarter CP (the northern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
      3. The 160 turn CP (the southern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
      4. Avraham Avinu quarter - watch station
      5. The pharmacy CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
      6. Tarpat (1929) CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
      7. Tel Rumeida CP - guarding station
      8. Beit Hadassah CP - guarding station

      Three checkpoints around the Tomb of the Patriarchs

      חברון - בקשת פיצויים בגין הפקעת אדמה
      Muhammad D.
      May-13-2026
      Hebron - Request for compensation for land expropriation
  • 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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