Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Mon 14.6.10, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
Everything’s as usual, like an easy, pleasant morning walk. Until it turns out that things aren’t as they seem. Considering the fact that this was once a lively area in which a quarter of a million people lived. The emptiness and silence speak for themselves.
Sansana-Meitar
We were late, and no more laborers were waiting. One bus with relatives of prisoners waits off to the side, but we didn’t see any people. A live of trucks waited for inspection, but everything was peaceful. The bulldozers were also waiting to go into action on the eastern side of the checkpoint.
Route 60
Pretty busy: Many vehicles (in local terms), both Israeli and Palestinian. Since schools are on vacation, only a few children walk on the roadside.
Dahariyya is open, as is Dura Elfawwar. Soldiers were present only in the guard tower.
Kvasim junction is open, as is Bani Na’im.
Just as we passed Beit Haggai we saw a line of police vehicles, ambulances and emergency vehicles and we heard on the radio about the shooting attack that took place here.
On our way back we saw soldiers at every junction because of the attack. Palestinian cars were detained and Route 60 was partially closed. We waited to see what was happening, but didn’t see anyone arrested and drivers told us that their documents hadn’t been taken. We got the impression that the army behaved appropriately. There were a number of settlers who also found the road closed to them, which annoyed them. We continued on Route 317 to Beersheva, and other than at one of the entrances to Yatta we saw no soldiers.
Hebron
Quiet, dead. Even the bagel seller and the CPT people have disappeared. There were no soldiers along the Worshippers Route and on the road down to the Cave of the Patriarchs, nor at the Pharmacy checkpoint. Next to Beit Hadassah, the Tarpa”t checkpoint and in the Jewish part of Tel Rumeida the soldiers wave in a friendly manner at our vehicle. A military vehicle stands in the middle of the road in the Arab part of Tel Rumeida, but apparently isn’t in the way of the few people going past – actually, we and another man were the only people there. The CPT people feel it’s the calm before the storm, and that’s really the feeling.
Like they say: “Shhh – occupation.”
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
Raya YeorDec-18-2025Hebron - Yusri Jaber and part of his family
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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
Smadar BeckerApr-10-2026New Israeli flags placed for miles on Highway 317 to prove who is sovereign
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