Hebron, South Hebron Hills, Tue 28.6.11, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
Meitar crossing
All the laborers have crossed. Two buses carrying relatives of prisoners already arrived and have begun crossing without being delayed.
Route 60
Crowded with vehicles, including military vehicles.
On the way to Abda, soldiers are stopping and inspecting cars, but release them immediately.
They’re also inspecting cars at the entrance to Dura. When we came back, soldiers had come down from the pillbox and were standing behind the concrete barriers, making a show of their presence.
Kvasim junction
Soldiers stand in the sheep market. Why?! To demonstrate their presence – otherwise, how would everyone know “We’re Here!”?
Hebron
Truth be told, we expected unrest in Kiryat Arba following yesterday evening’s events involving the adherents of Rav Leor. But everything is quiet and peaceful. We see people at Mizpeh Avihai and also at the Federman farm. When will they be removed?!
A full bus, including guards, stops at Baruch Goldstein’s grave – may his name be blotted out! Everyone throngs to the site.
Hebronis very quiet. Summer vacation affects the morning routine. The Shimshon battalion is now stationed in the city.
Two CPT volunteers asked us to show them a Jewish settlement. They never dared go to Kiryat Arba, and are extremely curious. So we “treated” them, and showed them around. The guard at the town’s entrance scrutinizes us suspiciously when he sees we’re making a second circuit. OK, he relaxes, he recognizes us and the strangers don’t look dangerous. He “allows us” to go through. These lords of the land have so much authority!
Our tourists are excited and amazed to see the attractive, well-ordered city, its industrial area and the residents who appear normal.
They ask questions which indicate they don’t know very much. We explain who, what and when.
For them, it’s a journey to a country that’s different from their expectations and they’re excited. They thought that no one worked, that everyone studied, was very religious and all the rest….
They didn’t imagine a settlement that was actually a city; they thought everything would be small, like a kibbutz, with a few eccentrics. They seem to understand that the Israeli government knowingly made a considerable investment to build a large locality.
We returned them to Hebron. They thank us, as if we did them a wonderful favor.
Hebron
See all reports for this place-
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
-
South Hebron Hills
See all reports for this place-
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
-