I haven’t visited the area since the beginning of October. Perhaps that’s why I was impressed by the changes: the hills from Meitar and north are painted fresh green, the plowed fields have a green stubble. White sheep were also observed chewing grass in two places. Muhammad claims that some of the fields were occupied by the settlers who now not only send the sheep to eat their crops but also raise crops  themselves in those fields

The occupation exerts its burden now with almost complete blockades of the side roads. It is possible to distinguish different types of blockages, below is a partial list on Route 60

Dhahiriya – Besides the rock barrier at the entrance, a military vehicle is standing on the road and is ready to check pedestrians.

Karameh – the main asphalt road is open to cars.

Abda – the asphalt road on the western side is closed with piles of dirt that look new. The eastern side is closed and cameras have also been installed

Deir Razih – the asphalt road is open

Khursa – a checkpoint manned by soldiers who distinguish between Palestinians – forbidden to pass, and settlers who pass by in their vehicles on the way to and from Negohot.

Dura Al-Fawwar – each of the villages is closed by a metal gate. Between the villages, the people walk to the yellow taxis that will take them to Hebron on the internal roads.

The southern entrance to Hebron in front of Bani Na’im – the gate in the direction of Hebron and the exit are closed.

Qilqis Junction – The gates are closed on the Hebron side and on the Qilqis side, the goods from Hebron are transported in supermarket carts towards Qilqis.

Hakvasim (the sheep) crossing – the road is blocked by large stones

Shuyukh, Sa’ir – both villages are closed by gates. On the Sa’ir side, 4 soldiers with weapons are monitoring pedestrian traffic. A narrow passage for pedestrians was assigned to the side of the checkpoint. It is so narrow that a wheelchair cannot pass through it, so the disabled person on the chair and the person carrying it had to bend down and pass under the gate.

We are not allowed to stop at the gate and therefore, in order to meet my friend Mohammed, we had to follow a back-to-back procedure – a handshake, a short conversation, transfer of money, and the guard who is guarding my back hurries me back to the road.

We went to bring bags of clothes to Aata who lives in a lonely house in Sa’ir, right in front of the entrance to Kiryat Arba. In the middle of the steep ascent to his house there is a stone block. – Abuse for its own sake.

Route 356

The road is deserted.

The phenomenon of blocking the side roads is also apparent here. Even the agricultural roads from the road to the field – are blocked by high mounds of dirt.

Zif junction – the yellow gate is closed,

The entrance to Tuwani is open, but on the other side of the road, the dirt road to Yatta is closed with stones. A group of elderly women make their way on foot, about two kilometers to Yatta.

In the Yehuda Farms area, Israeli flags by the side of the road. Probably signifying something to the Jewish National fund or another takeover by settlers.

Leaving through Meitar crossing – it’s amazing to see the parking lot on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint empty of vehicles.

Utterly dispiriting.