Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
Monday: quiet reigns at the Meitar checkpoint. We travel on route 317 to the village of Tuwani. The head of the local council Nasser A and his mother welcome us to their home. They tell us that last week four settlers fom the nearby outpost Maon entered the village and wandered around. They left without incident but returned later and damaged some olive trees. Local children began to throw stones and the settlers were about to beat them but the village women came out and chased them away. That same week Nasser and his son went to the nearby village of Bir Id to help with the work in the fields. Settlers from an adjacent outpost/settlement Nesher Netzah (again not clear) came out and chased them with dogs. They called the army which came but did nothing. On Friday, 12/04 a group of Druze soldiers entered the village and took photographs of various buildings; they said they were looking for “exceptions”. There is a feeling, that we shared, that things are definitely taking a turn for the worse and Nasser wants to organize a meeting/conference of all the organizations operating in the area to try and decide what to do. For example, the public park, with its natural wells, at the village of Um al Kheir has received a demolition order and that is an issue that needs to be dealt with. On our return journey we saw army bulldozers preparing to block the access routes to and between the local villages. Today (17.04) Ma’an, the Palestinian news site, reported that the access route between the town of Yatta and Tuwani was blocked with concrete. Getting ready for annexation?
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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