Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
We left at 09.30 after Meitar Checkpoint was no longer under such pressure We checked at the entrance to the sleeve. There was no traffic and we only saw a few illegal workers along Highway 60. The road itself is pretty empty.
We turned onto Route 317 on the way to the village of Tuwani, where there were been some unpleasant events last week. We met Nasser and and his son Bassam who just recently completed law school at Hebron University and now is looking for a place to do his internship.
Bassam told us about the invasion of the village on the night of 11.09. Beyond the physical damage caused (demolitions) tents, concrete structures and caravans were destroyed and left 27 people and 13 children homeless. Also cisterns were destroyed and roads blocked, people were arrested and there was at least one injured person in need to be hospitalized in the hospital at Yatta. The demolitions were in villages destined for demolition because of being in firing zones. This is even though they have lived in the area for over 100 years and well before the establishment of the state. The villages are in Masafer Yata: Khalet A-Daba, Mufakara, Shaab al Butum and Jinba.
Tuwani, is a more established village, with an organizing committee and, in recent years, there is a center for tourists which brought many international organizations to the place. Bassam said the visits lately were not so frequent. The center included a small gallery of pictures which showed frequent attacks of the settlers from the nearby Havat Maon outpost. There was also a handicraft shop of objects which the women of the village had made. Today the place seems to be neglected, and there are signs of a renovation which was not completed.
Leah recorded Bassam: Due to technical difficulties the recording will be sent separately (with apologies).
See the article by Amira Hass on the subject:
https://www.haaretz.co.il/opinions/.premium-1.7853108 in Haaretz of 17.9.
We continued to Umm el Kheir, a poor village of which all the homes except for two are under the threat of demolition. The settlement of Carmel is pushing them eastwards. There we met a group of the Good Shepher Collective. They are a group of activists for human rights, Palestinian and internationals. They say that they are different from other groups in the area as is explained in their web site https://goodshepherdcollective.org/
They try to open a kindergarten in the village. There is a fenced-in area and a nice yard for the children but they lack the necessities and so it is not active.
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
Muhammad D.May-5-2026Daphna with Basel in A-Tוwani
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