Back to reports search page

Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills, Zif Junction

Observers: Raya Y. Translator: Natanya
Jul-29-2020
| Morning

We passed the Meitar checkpoint, policemen and soldiers stop and check the passers-by near the gate through which the illegal residents pass. It is known as gate 11 (a name given to it for our two legs).

We continued on Route 317 towards A-Tuwani and there we met Fahri who reported to us a lot of vehicles being inspected by the Border Police and confiscated by the authorities. Today, three Palestinian vehicles were taken off the road under the claim that they had transported illegal workers, and in addition the vehicles were illegal because they did not have a vehicle license.

In Umm al-Kheir the situation is calm thanks to the corona, there is no demolition of tents or any structure. Id hopes that soon all the representatives of the international bodies will return to be present and to give the Palestinians a dignified sense of existence and to lower their anxiety. Id hopes that the foreign representatives of international bodies will also return to all areas of the West Bank because the Palestinians feel that they give them some protection.

Nabil from the grocery store at Zif Junction shares with us that the army and police are present from time to time, sometimes setting up a checkpoint and sometimes delaying residents of Yatta, the big city.

All the residents we met spoke through masks. To our question, is there a strict adherence to distance and the use of masks? We received different answers of yes and no of both. There is no distancing  and masks in all places, it all depends on the area and the residents who live in it.

  • Meitar checkpoint / Sansana

    See all reports for this place
    • 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
  • South Hebron Hills

    See all reports for this place
    • 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

       

       

      דרום הר חברון, בית חגי: סוללים דרך ביטחון פנימית
      Muhammad
      Feb-24-2026
      South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
  • Zif Junction

    See all reports for this place
    • Zif Junction located on the crossroads that directs towards Road 356 to Yata. Yata is the district city of the southern Hebron Mountains. Usually, this junction is open to traffic. The nearby pillbox is unmanned. But the army and police are present occasionally, sometimes setting up a checkpoint and sometimes detaining residents from the big city. Often,  the Israeli policemen inspect vehicles and distribute driving reports to Palestinian vehicles. s
Donate