Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Tue 3.2.09, Morning
Sansana
06:45am: workers are crossing without delays. Palestinian trucks await their turn for the "back to back" procedure. Israeli trucks are unloading sand.
Highway 60
There's barely any traffic on the road, only the children on their way to school. Military vehicles are also very scarce. All blockages are in place and all pillboxes, manned.
Samoa: open.
Daharia: blocked.
Carame: open.
Abda: open.
Dir-Razek: blocked.
Klicagis: closed.
Sheep Junction: open.
Shuyuch Hebron: blocked, but has been arranged so that it can be crossed. "The Social Workers of the Occupation (us)" got their way. The CP has not been removed, God forbid, but has been rendered more "humane". How horrible.
Highway 35
at the humanitarian CP the pillbox is manned and crossing is free.
The Olive Crossing: open.
Idna-Tarkumiya: the pillbox is manned and the crossing open.
We paid a visit to the family of the 26 year old who was shot by soldiers when plowing his field with his donkey, accompanied by his six year old son Firas and Hala his daughter who is not quite three. He alarmed the soldiers so they killed him, leaving Haifa a widow with two little orphans. That day he was told to keep away from work at the port in Ashdod as it was being targeted from Gaza. Instead he went plowing his small plot by the CP only to be shot before his children and be left to bleed to death. What can we do but weep with the bereaved family?
Hebron:
On the Prayers' Route there are two border police jeeps, one by the curve before the Cave of the Patriarchs.
The Pharmacy CP: the children are being checked one by one. The soldier stands them in line and lets none of them get away with it. This causes them to be late to school and brings to the scene Ibrahimia the headmaster and A' the janitor to ask the soldiers to hurry the inspection a little. You up there in the army – do away with this superfluous CP. How does checking seven year olds day in day out on their way to school contribute to your war against terror?
The Cave of the Patriarchs: four detainees are allowed to leave twenty minutes after detention. We meet again the two most aggressive settlers – Anat Cohen and Ofer Ohana. When Anat really over does it regarding A' our driver the decent constable tries to shut her up but not assertively enough.
Bassam's grocery: Bassam complains of daily harassment by the border police who stand guard over the empty House of dispute. We put him in touch with Yesh Din.
The House of Dispute: we saw no settlers there nor Palestinian detainees but the CP is still in place.
Tel Rumeida CP: On top of the road by the soldiers' mortar block a metal fence has been erected that partitions the road – half for the Palestinians and half for the rest. No more red line. We notice a disturbance and see two soldiers shaking a Palestinian and yelling at him. Next to him another frightened-looking Palestinian is trying to hang on to him. We disembark to let the soldiers know we're there and see what's going on. The one being yelled at is obviously retarded and the other is his younger brother trying to sooth him. The retarded man was touching the soldier's weapon and may have been handcuffed. The disaster that might have ensued was luckily averted when the soldiers decided to let go of both. The normal frightened brother dragged his sick sibling as quickly as he could away from the soldiers. Later we engaged in a meaningful conversation with the soldiers regarding human dignity and complimented them for having realized that the man is not in his right mind and allowing him to leave.
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
Lea ShakdielMay-27-2025Hebron, settlers vandalized the sign of the girls' school
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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
A Palestinian residentJun-9-2025Fuqiqis - Settler boys arrive with a herd and harass family members
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