Hebron, South Hebron Hills
Today’s shift was planned to include a meeting with the Keramim pre-army program which is spending a week in Judean and Samaria.
Rain and fog all the way to Hebron – no military on the road and only two police cars ticketing everyone they can (one at the Beit Haggai junction and one at the junction of Highway 60 and Highway 35).
The agricultural gate next to the gas station is open, the almond tree still blooming.
The meeting with participants in the pre-army program.
There are 45 students in addition to group leaders and support staff. Leah teaches on a permanent basis and this is the fourth year we’ve met with them.
Many of the students, as well as the head of the program, are religious and live in the settlements.
The participants are pleasant and polite and try to keep an open mind. They arrive in an armored bus belonging to the Southern Hebron Hills regional council following a meeting in Kiryat Arba, and park in the lot next to the Cave of the Patriarchs, which is completely flooded.
Based on our experience in previous years, as well as because of the weather, we decided there’s no point in walking around town with them but have them meet Palestinians instead.
We sat for two hours with the Muqstab family (‘Abed’s relatives) and Muhammad, the son, spoke – Leah and I interrupting him (too frequently) with explanations.
Mufid Shar’abati tells his story – and the time is up… I take them for a short walk to see the H1 area of town. We part at Beit Hadassah.
In general, it was excellent. And Muhammad was fantastic. At the end of the discussion they invited Muhammad to visit the program – he told them he’s not even allowed to reach Jerusalem…
Lessons for the future: don’t agree to be limited to two hours, compared to more than eight hours allotted to the Hebron Jewish Community. Ya’ir, the program’s director, says that next year we’ll also be scheduled for an introductory discussion at the program’s home site.
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
Muhammad D.May-13-2026Hebron - Request for compensation for land expropriation
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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
Muhammad D.Jul-13-2026Michal with O.
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