Hebron

The parking lot at the Meitar crossing is crowded when we cross and no people are going through, only trucks unloading and loading sand “back to back.”

The main story of today’s report is that of Shakr Tamimi and Gal farm.  Gal farm is located above Highway 60, southeast of Kiryat Arba, adjacent to its mostly vacant industrial zone.

Gal farm was erected on private land belonging to Shakr Tamimi, and settlers are also building on his land and not allowing him to access his lands.  He tried to erect a barn, spent more than NIS 170,000 and lost it all.  He has many tales of harassment by settlers and he’s receiving legal assistance from Rabbis for Human Rights, and Yesh Din is also involved.

Yesterday Civil Administration building inspectors arrived and tried to demolish a structure belonging to the settlers.  They were chased off with blows.  Today we saw a military jeep and soldiers preventing the settlers from entering.

In addition, Shakr Tamim is blacklisted from entering Israel (his brother is imprisoned for security offenses so there’s no chance of lifting the blacklisting).

He was a witness in the cases the police filed against the settlers and is owed money.  The court contacted him.  How can Shakr Tamimi reach the court in Jerusalem?  A real Catch 22.

With the help of Idit Schlesinger from Jerusalem the money was somehow retrieved.  Tamimi hopes that with the help of RHR and Yesh Din he’ll be able to access his land.

Meanwhile, in Hebron…

The intermediate days of Passover passed relatively quietly and without unusual incidents, as we were told by CPT and TIPH personnel.  Hebron had 25,000 visitors during that time.  The Cave of the Patriarchs was closed to non-Jewish worshippers (“Jewish exception days”).  Additional restrictions were imposed on Palestinians and twelve Palestinian rooftops were taken over for observation posts.  As the Norwegian TIPH staffer said, it’s simply apartheid.

Israeli flags fly everywhere.  Even where it’s done purposely to be annoying:  Next to Beit Hameriva, at the entrance to the home of a member of the Ja’abri family.

And on Beit Hamachpela beside the Pharmacy checkpoint and the Al-Fahiya girls’ school.

In the Kapisha neighborhood, where the Tzion route begins, which is supposed to be a route that Palestinians with a special permit may drive on, we saw the following sight:  a vehicle from a laundry in Gush Etzion transferring clean laundry to a Palestinian vehicle…

Renovation continues at the Pharmacy and Curve 160 checkpoints.

The Tel Rumeida neighborhood above is still a closed military area, with this checkpoint:

The day will come when it too will be upgraded by installing the machinery of evil, like at the other checkpoints.

Right beside it we found a concrete barrier with this drawing:

 Heavy traffic on Highway 60 to Hebron and, as usual, the army has set up checkpoints – this time at Dura al Fawwar.  On our way back the checkpoint  had “flown” to another location.

The lines weren’t too long, and one of the Palestinians said they’d grown accustomed to them…

That’s it for today.