Hebron, South Hebron Hills, Mon 26.12.11, Morning
Trans. by Jenny L.
It's raining
The vineyards are leafless
The occupation continues.
Because of the foggy weather and the Channukah holiday, life around here gets off to a late start. The flow of vehicles is very light and even the people are barely visible. We asked Simya inhabitants how they were getting on as we had heard of the intention to demolish buildings there. "So far, no," they tell us. We'll keep in touch.
The IDF bulldozers are working. Here, they are gathering asphalt shavings, which they'll use to "occupy" some area. There, next to the road to Negohot they are preparing a new firing range. The path to the outpost on top of the hill above us is still muddy. The time's not yet ripe to pave it. Only vehicles with front wheel drive can make the ascent. The soldiers are freezing but politely answer our questions.
Hebron
Dozing. We're pleased to see that the posters that a settler pasted up a week week ago along the road leading down from Tel Romeida and along Shuheda Street have been removed. Has someone decided to make things here a little more orderly? Now no-one will know of the historical right that settlers claim for this place and of the injustice that Israeli laws have perpetrated on them. Would that it were so? Until the next time.
We decided to go and buy the excellent pita bread, which has no parallel elsewhere. One has to cross H2, The Pharmacy checkpoint, to walk 50 meters to the bakery. There have been occasions when soldiers understood that we were not endangering "peace" in the area and allowed us to pass. Not today. "It's dangerous," they said, "and if anything happens to you we would be held responsible." Nevertheless they call their superiors to ask permission to let us through. A female soldier's voice can be heard: "[Machsom]Watch women? Give them a kick in the ass and get them out'a here," she shouts. The soldier, who is more embarrassed than we are when he realises we have heard what she said, mutters something about the mood she's in this morning and goes. We do too. The "righteous" soon have their work done by others. Local people returning from the bakery willingly sell us the pitas they had bought and go back to buy more for themselves.
There are no delays at the checkpoints; nothing special happened. We can leave town. Terhe's also very little IDF presence along the road in the direction of Shayuch. We headed for home on route 356. We saw nothing new there either.
How wonderful!""
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-1-2026From the food we brought to the Daramin family in the village of Khirbet al-Kharaba
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