Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Tarqumiya, Tue 24.3.09, Morning
Sansana-Meytar CP:
Three buses of prisoners' families stand on the side, waiting. Rain pours and there are only a few workers, because agricultural workers did not arrive. Families' transfer starts at 7:00am. Almost no families are left waiting at the shed – everything seems to be taken care of, given the circumstances.
Sand trucks waiting – no goods' are being transferred due to the rain.
Road 60:
Rain and fog and almost no vehicles. Children walk on the sideways towards school; one military vehicle. Whatever was open, is still open – whatever was closed, is still closed.
Dura Alfawwar: traffic flows; pillbox, manned.
Manoach Mount (Har Manoach): the bulldozer cannot be seen in the parking lot – apparently, at work.
Sheep's Junction: same.
Beit Anoun – Shauyukh Hebron: No one passing through, and no military vehicle either. Blockages in place.
Road 35
Pillboxes are manned, blockages in place.
Humanitarian CP: a single Hammer at the CP but there are no checkups – the Hammer merely blocks the path.
Olive pathway: open and road packed with Palestinian cars, as if it has never been an apartheid road, making both our eyes and our hearts rejoice.
Tarqumiya-Idna: Pillbox is manner, and passage is open. At the crossroads itself, the Palestinians put up new, yellow signposts, with Hebrew and Engligh directions: Hebron to the right, Tarqumiya to the left. Reviving themselves through those signposts – all green signposts, set up by the (Israeli) National authority for roads ignore Arab communities. This initiative is therefore heartening.
Taqumiya: Some of the tracks – seven, to be precise – stand waiting where the old CP used to be. Drivers do not report of any special problems. Pedestrian path is empty, three buses of families' visits in the parking lot. We are told they've gone through already at 7:30am – and that the CP is now functioning well. At the shed, a typists writes requests for the Laison and Coordination Admin upon demand.A concrete reserve is being built next to the parking lot outside – to be loaded by Palestinian concrete mixers.
Hebron
Right-wing activists are in Um el Fahem today. Hence, we knew that today should be easier for us. Hebron is foggy and cold today, and at this hour, children walk to school.
The House of Dispute: A military bulldozer makes his way between the mosque and the house of dispute. The CP is manned by border police soldiers, and when we come to peep in, a detainee is just being released.
Below the house of dispute, two border police vans are parked.
Basem the grocer tells us that over these last two weeks border police soldiers have been genuinely mean and menacing to whoever passed through there. He shows us the soldiers deeds, as caught by his camera only two days ago. We contact the Brigade's spokesperson and tell her of this, as well as contacting "Betzelem", to make sure they are aware of these, most recent photos. It seems to us to truly deserve the attention of the department for the investigation of policemen (the Ministry of the Interior).
The prayers' route: gate is open.
Schorr Junction: Border Police Jeep.
Pharmacy CP: children walk to school. The little ones, unchecked, the elder, through the magnometer. A soldier-woman stressed upon seeing us: "who are you? You're not allowed to be here, and photographing is prohibited." But she calmed down relatively quickly. Over all, all seems to suggest a normal occupation routine.
Tel Rumeidah: no one is being checked and there are almost no pedestrians passing through. Raining and cold.
Tarpat CP: the purple instructions' sheet – the racist one we thought was already discarded – is hidden behind the concrete blocks, but still there. The person transmitting gas containers (for residential use) passes through the small gateway. The soldiers detain two youngsters – one in a black and red kafiah – something I never saw before. The soldiers tell us they detained them, briefly, because the kafia-wearer talked rudely to them. Later, it transpired that something was unclear in his paperwork. We waited there until some peace-activists arrived and promised to wait and update us if the youngster is detained for over an hour. They didn't get back to us, so we assume those two were released in due time.
The Patriarchs' Tombs' Cave: same Border Police soldiers, we know from earlier shifts. They've asked for M. (our new driver)'s documents. We all handed our documents over, and all were returned. They expressed their sorrow over I (our previous driver)'s passing away. One detainee, who was just there, was released while we were still around. Suddenly, we saw Ofer's jeep arrive. Approaching him, I asked how come he's not in Um el-Fahem just now – to which he responded that he his work is here, in Hebron. I told him of Ibrahim's death, at which he muttered: "OK. So I'll spare you today."
This is the occupation's image today. The routine continues, unchanged.
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
Michal TsadikDec-23-2025Wadi Shahish - The family car vandalized by settlers
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Tarqumiya CP
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The Tarqumiya Checkpoint is one of the largest and busiest checkpoints where people and goods cross into Israel. It is located on the Separation Barrier close to the Green Line, on Road 35 (connecting Beer Sheva and Hebron). It is run by the Israel Defense Ministry’s Crossings Administration with civilian secuirty companies running the day to day operations. The checkpoint is indeed open to vehicles in both directions 24/7, but Palestinians are prevented from crossing in vehicles, except in special cases. MachsomWatch activists visit the checkpoint as it opens at 3:45 am, in order to observe the daily passage of nearly 10,000 Palestinian workers. The workers arrive from throughout the Southern West Bank. Our activists report on the tremendous overcrowding at this checkpoint; they have observed young men climbing and scrambling on the fences and roofs of the ‘access cages’. This is how the work day begins for those who ‘build the land of Israel’. updated November 2019
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