Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Sun 3.2.08, Morning
6:30 –9:45
Meitar -Sansana CP
On the Israeli side some way away from the car park with the waiting transit vans, we saw a lot of workers waiting for transportation. They stood in small groups around fires because of the cold.
At the terminal on the Palestinian side there was a long queue (about 200 men) but it was very orderly and advanced at a reasonable speed. The Palestinians complained that the CP had opened late but a security man called Zacky said the terminal opens on Sundays at 4:00 am (because of the pressure) instead of 4:30 and it had done so this morning. We measured the time it took to move from the entrance to the turnstile to the exit on the Israeli side – it took 15 minutes. Zacky said that usually some 800 men pass through. While we were present new van-loads of men kept on arriving and joined the queue.
Route 60
Dura-al Fawwar , Sheep's Crossing: No soldiers on the ground – the crossings are open as usual.
Shiyuch- Hebron: an army jeep was stationed on the Shiyukh side and the soldiers had got out of it –but they were merely enjoying the sun and were not checking anyone – neither pedestrians nor a lone motorbike rider who crossed route 60.
On the way to Hebron we saw snow piled up at the side of the road and expanses of it covering the fields and vineyards.
Hebron
We got there at 7:40. No setainees were observed at any of the usual CPs (Pharmacy, Tarpat, Tel Romeida, Patriarchs' Cave). At Tel Romeida a peace volunteer told us that there had been no problems there today before we arrived. Owing to the ice on the road the steep descent from Tel Romeida to Tarpat CP was dangerous but the kids walking down it managed not to slip.
Givat Hakharsina
We drove to the end of the apartheid road next to the BP base. There the road is blocked by a tall steel gate and a fence which continues along the road and leaves only a narrow path for pedestrians to use on the side of the road furthers from the settlers' houses. On the left side of the path there are rocks and on the right the high fence which "protects" the three Jewish houses. The path was full of the remains of snow , ice, mud and puddles. We saw an elderly Palestinian woman wearing a long dress and carrying a shopping basket walking along this path and trying in vain not to dirty the hem of her dress. Granted that this path is only some 150 meters long –at its end the road opens again and Palestinian vehicles can drive there towards H1 (we indeed saw a private Palestinian car parked on the road outside a Palestinian house)- but the provision of this wet and slippery path is a disgrace to Israel.
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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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