Hebron, South Hebron Hills, Mon 1.11.10, Morning
Sansana-Meitar
6:50a.m.- Most of the labourers had passed and seemingly been picked up by their employers since we saw very few and didn't meet anyone refused entry. In the "cafe" a few tired young men lolled over coffee. Almost like Aroma. There was a largish group of prisoners' families, mostly women, waiting at the turnstile and in the "pen" to be let through at 7:00. A few children scampered cheerfully round the pen, the only cheer in that gloomy atmosphere. A women told me in English that the passage is rather slow as they only allow 4 at a time. The families travel from first light sometimes to very distant prisons and in the end get only a short time with their loved one. No wonder they are despondent!
Unllike last week, I was back to my usual crumpled appearance and, indeed, my reception was less suspicious this time.
Route 60
Slow except for increased military presence at the entrance to villages, partly due to the previous night's terror attack at Hussan and, of course, the international terror alert in the wake of the attempts over recent days. After all, we are not a mere part of the global war on terror: we are THE front line against the marauders.
Dahariyeh: a bus waiting and the passengers standing around it. On investigation it turns out to be a pilgrims' bus to Mecca for the Haj which began on 2/11, waiting for a latecomer and having a smoke.
Dura: the army was checking thoroughly, but not at all at Alfawwar, checking at Bani Naim but not at the Kvasim [Sheep] Junction. On the way back, no checking at all. Its to keep the terrorists guessing.
At the entrance to Hebron, just south of Beit Hagai, a shiny new barrier of barbed wire shines in the sun.
Hebron
The quietist city in the Middle East. Friendly soldiers greet us smilingly. On the Worshippers' Alley (Tzir Hamitpallelim) the blockades are still in place (and opposite a patrol sits in the sun). The workers of last week have disappeared and the renovations haven't been finished. Maybe everyone has gone to Mecca, including the settlers whom we didn't see or hear either. There is a ceremony of stone throwing during the Haj…they should feel right at home!
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
Leah ShakdielApr-8-2025Hebron: A sign advertising a tempting real estate
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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.May-13-2025Susiya - at Ahmad and Halima Nawaja'a
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