Maktal Umm-Salem – settlers working on private Palestinian land
Because it is Ramadan, we left for the shift at three in the afternoon. Considering the hour,, the parking lot at the Meitar crossing was relatively empty.
Route 317:
We went to Maktal Umm-Salem: this is a residential complex for one family, north of the road, opposite the Wadada area south of the road, and east of the Shim’ah settlement. The head of the family is Amer, and he shepherds his sheep from the other side of the road.
Amer’s wife called Muhammad and asked us to come and if possible, to bring them some things they needed. They are grateful for any help. We wentwith a jeep loaded with equipment collected by Smadar.
On the way, just before Meitar, near Zenuta, Muhammad’s sharp eye noticed the work being done at the Meiterim farm (an illegal outpost), where the settler Yinon lives. We will have to follow developments there.
We arrived at Maktal Umm-Salem. At the entrance to the road leading to it, Amer put up a barrier to prevent settlers from dumping their garbage there. We were greeted by Amer’s wife and some of the small children. Amer himself and the older children were in the pasture.
The settlers raise a drone every few days to document the place and scare the sheep.
The place is full of scraps that Amer collects. And you can’t help but notice the differences between the home of the Palestinians and on the ridge in front of the settlement – Shim’ah.
Across the road, in front of the Maktal Umm-Salem slaughterhouse, we saw earthworks, settlers from Meitarim Farm preparing a plot of land to plant a vineyard.
When we left for Route 60, we met Abu-Awaj and his children, a member of the Makhrij family from Samu’ who told us that most of the land in the area across from the Maktal Umm-Salem slaughterhouse, across the road, is their private land, including the new vineyard plot that Havat-Meitimar settlers are cultivating openly. They say that when the landowners came to stop the settlers’ work in the vineyard, they were beaten by the settlers and finally arrested by the security forces for several days.
On the way back, parking at the Meitar crossing was almost empty.
Meitar checkpoint / Sansana
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Meitar Checkpoint / Sansana The checkpoint is located on the Green Line and serves as a border crossing between Israel and the West Bank. It is managed by the Border Crossing Authority of the Defense Ministry. It is comprised of sections for the transfer of goods as well as a vehicle checkpoint (intended for holders of blue identity cards, foreign nationals or diplomats and international organizations). Passing of Palestinians is prohibited, except for those with entry permits to Israel. Palestinians are permitted to cross on foot only. The crossing has a DCO / DCL / DCL / DCL (District Coordination Office), a customs unit, supervision, and a police unit. In the last year, a breach has been opened in the fence, not far from the crossing. This breach is known to all, including the army. There does not appear to be any interest in blocking it, probably as it permits needed Palestinian workers without the bureaucratic permits to get to work in Israel. Food stalls and a parking area economy have been created, but incidents of violent abuse by border police have also been recorded. Updated April 2022
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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
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