Hebron, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
A cold, sunny day…traces of the storm everywhere. The Meitar crossing is filled with puddles. The parking lot is completely full and four buses with relatives of prisoners park there. When we go through at 9 AM and return at noon the crossing is easy.
300 broken and cut down olive trees on both sides of Highway 317 near Susya. In the middle of Friday’s storm these criminals found time to do that. The olive groves aren’t far from Mitzpeh Ya’ir, or from Mitzpeh Aviga’il, or from Carmel, or from Ma’on, or from Susiya…it’s almost certain they won’t discover who’s responsible.

We ran into representatives of the Palestinian Authority Department of Agriculture who came to evaluate the damage.


Photo: The army stationed below Carmel didn’t protect the Palestinians.

Photo: Snow in Hebron.

Photo: Graffiti on the steps of the Palestinian house at the junction of the Worshippers Route [“Kahana was right”]
At the house we met the woman of the house – a grandmother and two young mothers and seven lovely children. A military troop carrier is parked next to the house. It’s bringing lunch to soldiers stationed on the roof.
Approximately once every six months the army also enters the house, takes it over and the family crowds into one room. That happens during the holidays. The oldest girl, who wasn’t there now, once was beaten by the soldiers and now all the children flee when they see them. Sometimes they fire tear gas at the children gathered near the boys’ school and it wafts straight into the house. We sat there for about half an hour and heard the stories, and there’s little we can do.
Except empathize.
The whole occupation in five photos.
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:
- Bet Hameriva CP- manned with a pillbox
- Kapisha quarter CP (the northern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
- The 160 turn CP (the southern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
- Avraham Avinu quarter - watch station
- The pharmacy CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
- Tarpat (1929) CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
- Tel Rumeida CP - guarding station
- Beit Hadassah CP - guarding station
Three checkpoints around the Tomb of the Patriarchs
Muhammad D.May-13-2026Hebron - Request for compensation for land expropriation
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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
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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
Yael ZoranJun-18-2026An ambulance is waiting in front of the closed checkpoint in El-Fawwar
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