Hebron, South Hebron Hills, Tue 1.1.13, Morning
We set out later than usual but Route 60 was no busier than usual, except for a lot of trucks with building materials and heavy equipment. Near the village of Sweiki we noted some heavy equipment at work and planned to investigate on our way back. It did not work out so would the next shift please keep a look out. Near Beth Hagai we spotted several police and army vehicles, all seemingly deserted. As Natanya was on her way from Jerusalem, I went alone to have a look and found a lone police officer, who rather rudely declined to answer my questions. Finally he asked if I had heard of the 83 year old woman who was raped in Tel-Aviv – what was the relevance of the question? Sub-text: if you wander around asking questions and supporting Palestinians see what fate awaits you. And its very troubling that the subject should have been raised in the context of a (senior) citizen asking a legitimate question of the forces of law and order.. So are you looking for rapists? I ask (as I spotted a number of police, including special unit in black uniforms pottering about the hills above the main road,' Yes. we are looking for rapists'. Dead end. M suggests, it seems correctly, that they were looking for illicit water pipes by means of which the Palestinians 'steal' water. Rape of the Promised Land, the question is just who is the rapist.
Hebron as usual. two young detainess, residents of H2 and moving around H2, at Bend 160. The Border Policeman has never heard of MW, and no, he isn't bored, there's lots to do there. Like releasing the detainees, which he does with despatch. at the entrance to the parking lot near Abed Square the Border Police have set up a barrier. "Are you Jew" We all answer in the affirmative but I cannot resist, as he opens the barrier for us, and ask what he would have done if we were not Jews. No problem but he needs to know who he is letting in. Natanya and M shut me up and we pass. At Tel Romeida a soldier asks if we are tourists, and if we are Israeli why we bought at the local store. Our answer that its cheaper there seems to satisfy him, and, again, we pass.
At the apartheid section of the Worshipers' Alley the residents assure us that all is fine. But all is so very much not fine here!
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
Raya YeorDec-18-2025Hebron - Yusri Jaber and part of his family
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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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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