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Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Tue 25.8.09, Morning

Observers: Tamar G. and Michal (reporting)
Aug-25-2009
| Morning

Trans. by Revital S.
Sansana CP
The crossing is empty at this hour. There are no buses of prisoners' families, probably on account of the "Free Gil'ad Shalit" campaign.
Road 60
There is no change in the new roadblocks below Beit Hagai by the southern gate to Hebron.
Dura Alfawwar: pillbox is manned. Crossing is steady. Small groups of schoolchildren are walking by the roadside. Apparently UNRWA-run schools are already open. The rest will open on September 1st.
Sheep Junction: open. Very little traffic of any kind on the road.
Hebron
The town is deserted. School holiday is not yet over. Settlers' children are waiting for their bus. By the look of them they're off to some summer camp. The parachutists are still there – at the Pharmacy CP, the Gross Square, across from the ascent to the Cordoba School, at the top of the Shuhada Rd. toward Tel Rumeida – but no one is detained.
As always, we are more wary of settlers' presence but today they ignore us.
There are no detainees at the Patriarchs' Tombs' Cave. Shops are shut and the Jewish side is quiet as well.
Zion Route CP:
 Pillbox is bursting with jubilant Border Police soldiers, men and women, but they harass no one, readily allowing an old shepherd and his goats through.
Road 35
On the road to Tarqumiya the pillbox facing the humanitarian crossing is manned.
The Olive Crossing: open.
Traffic on the Halhul Bridge is steady.
The glassware store is as well stocked as ever.
A man tells us of damage to his car caused by the Hebron settlers, who only stopped following police intervention. His entire family was called to give evidence at the police station. This was three weeks ago. He was asking when he might expect an answer. We told him we found ourselves in similar circumstances more than once and that one can do nothing but wait patiently.
We left, home. A
s always – quiet and hopeless. 

  • 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

      חברון: שלט מפרסם נדלן מפתה
      Leah Shakdiel
      Apr-8-2025
      Hebron: A sign advertising a tempting real estate
  • 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

       

       

      גווית כבשה שהושלכה על ידי המתנחל שמעון עטיה מחוות שורשים ליד בית הספר באום קוסא.
      A Palestinian resident
      May-12-2025
      A sheep carcass dumped by settler Shimon Atiya from the Shorashim farm near the school in Umm Qusa.
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