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Hebron, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills, Sun 28.7.13, Morning

Observers: Lea Shakdiel, Yael Agmon (reporting)
Jul-28-2013
| Morning

Translator:  Charles K.

 

Meitar/Sansana crossing

At 05:45 we reached the Meitar crossing.  Dozens of people stand on the hill, on their way to enter Israel, and dozens of Palestinians stand watching them, as do we.  The sight amazed us, and we thought about the injustice:  so many people without permits, but nothing happens.  Why isn’t there someone smart enough to understand that opportunities to work in Israel should be officially increased, that Palestinians should not have to be afraid?!  What purpose do these restrictions serve?

 

06:00  The checkpoint is empty; Palestinians arriving cross easily.  But people whose permits are valid from 07:00 or from 08:00 are sent back to wait.

 

At 06:20 we leave.  On the way to the car we hear a rumor that someone has been shot and wounded by the army.  A few minutes later the rumor is that the injury resulted from an argument between two workers, and by the time the vehicle carrying the injured man leaves the area the rumor is that he was injured going through the fence.  Who knows – but all agree that no shots were fired.

 

Southern Hebron Hills

06:40  Military jeeps are parked at the turnoffs to side roads before and after Dura junction; the soldiers appear bored.

The Ma’on settlement is being expanded toward Tawwani.

 

Hebron

06:45  Beit Haggai junction.  The entrance to Hebron on the old Highway 60 is open to Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, but not to Jews.  Army and Border Police vehicles park at the entrance.  New signs have been erected on the highway so vehicles will know which way to go.

Construction continues in Hebron of the shortcut from Kiryat Arba.

At the Curve 160 checkpoint we found the headquarters of the feminist squad, the one whose work Leah Shakdiel disrupts.

  • Hebron

    See all reports for this place
    • 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

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      Lea Shakdiel
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      Hebron, settlers vandalized the sign of the girls' school
  • Meitar checkpoint / Sansana

    See all reports for this place
    • 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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