Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Mon 17.12.07, Morning
6:30-9:30
Sansana (Meitar) crossing (6:45)
No workers waiting to go through the crossing. We saw numbers of workers walking along the road in the direction of Meitar.
Route 60
Dura and El Fawwar – checkpoint is open (7:00).
Sheep Junction – checkpoint is open (7:10).
Hebron
It was the last day in Hebron for Givati soldiers. They are to be replaced by Kfir soldiers (7:30-8:45.).
Pharmacy crossing – School children and several adults going through in both directions. A Christian volunteer told us it is more difficult to get visas renewed and that visas are not being granted to people over 60.
Tarpat magnetic crossing – Children and adults passing through the crossing in both directions.
We walked up the hill to Tel Rumeida. Givati soldiers were stationed at the entrance to the street. There were also two police from the Border Police. They told us they do regular patrols there and that it is their responsibility to prevent clashes between the settlers and the Palestinians. In response to our query, they told us that the clashes are instigated by the settlers and that they were protecting the Palestinians. He said the only Palestinians allowed on the street were those who lived in the houses there. If friends wanted to visit, they had to receive permission. We walked at far as Beit Menachem which is a modern building with open shutters. In contrast, the building opposite is an old Arab building with windows and walkways encased in wire mesh protective fencing. An elderly man left the building and he and Yeela began to talk – a conversation which lasted until we returned to the Tarpat crossing. He was born 13 years before the establishment of Israel and remembers the time when relations between neighbors were good and he visited his Jewish neighbors in Beit Hadassah. Now the settlers at times intentionally park so close to his doorway that he has difficulty leaving his house. He was hypervigilant to traffic noises – no doubt from experiences with the settlers and their cars. He was quite philosophically about the situation seeing it as a test of faith from God.
Took the road 60 back to the Meitar crossing. An army jeep was now stationed at the Sheep junction with a soldier standing next to it. Foot traffic was moving freely from one side of the road to the other (9:15).
Meitar crossing – We were told that the crossing in open to traffic and Palestinian workers seven days a week at the usual hours (9:25).
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:
- 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
-
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
See all reports for this place-
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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
-