Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
The parking area at the checkpoint was full. The watery area in the picture below is not a pastoral corner under the separation wall, but a sewage lake that is difficult to get rid of the odors it spreads for many hours.
We left with a car loaded with things that Semadar had collected.
On Route 317, immediately after the Meitar industrial zone, Muhammad’s hawk eyes spotted buildings. We decided to go in and check out what this place is. The place was deserted. Some buildings and a bush and an oven with a pair of shoes in front of it and a baby chair next to it. It is difficult to know if it is a place that is hastily abandoned or if it is a place that is used for residence only during grazing.
On the way, we entered Amar from Maktal Umm Salem to check on what had happened after the army’s visit two weeks earlier when they confiscated the family’s tent, which in the laundered language of the occupation was called “Iron Constructions.” The army has not returned yet, but from time to time a jeep, probably from the Regavim Association, arrives and observes them.
Amar himself was in the pasture but I was happy to see some of the children in the family who on normal days when there is a school, are in Samu’ with their grandparents. They too were happy to see us and happy for the things we brought.
Nada, which means “dew”, really enjoyed the white fan.
Little Adam still looked terrified at the sight of the strangers arriving in the car but the bigger ones were happy with the things we brought them.
We continued to Abu Safi. He had just returned with the tractor from the field with some watermelons and pumpkins. This year, due to the severe drought, he grew vegetables only for the needs of the family and indeed all the girls in the family helped unload the produce and the 13-year-old Ranin which is already big enough shepherd the flock. The other girls helped unload the things we brought them but it seems to me that the great joy was with the necklaces they received.
We sat with Abu Safi outside, here he feels free. We were served the best tomatoes I have ever eaten.
Of course we returned to the water problem which is always more severe in summer, but this year due to the lack of rains, it is very severe. According to Abu Safi, a three-cubic-meter water tank costs more than NIS 100 and another three-hour round trip. In the well, which supplies water to the sheep there is almost no more water and in the summer that has just begun, they consume a water tank every day, in a quick calculation, about NIS 3,000 for water per month. Do you know of an Israeli family that spends such a sum on water?
Rania showed me on Instagram a painting that she had painted and it really caught my eye. I would call it a “dream”.
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
Michal TsadikJun-21-2026Sha'ab al-Butum - the residential complex of the Najjar family
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