Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Fri 12.6.09, Morning
Translation: Bracha B.A.
Sansana
There are no workers. There is a long line of sand trucks are working energetically on both sides.
Road 60
There is almost no traffic. The checkpoints are open and there is no traffic and the pillboxes are manned.
Road 35
While we were in the grocery store at 12pm, three soldiers emerged from the pillbox and conducted the procedure of halting life by placing spikes on the road and blocking traffic. Only one car is allowed to enter – that belonging to a settler from Telem. The Palestinians from both sides simply have to wait. A reminder: the road that they are blocking is the road between two Palestinian villages. Among the cars that were stopped are a car with three people who are hurrying to a funeral and a car with three women and three children. The soldiers are polite: “These are the orders we received. We are doing this for 40 minutes and then they can go.” We heard the following stories from detainees:
– During the past two weeks this procedure has taken place three times each day for 40 minutes (at 4:00 AM, at 12:00 PM, and at 8:00 PM).
– Two weeks ago a woman gave birth in a taxi that was on its way to Hebron. The ambulance was detained as well.
– Two weeks ago soldiers waved a taxi driver through, but did not remove the spikes from the road. The damage was more than NIS 1000 to each of his wheels. Who will pay, if not the unfortunate Palestinian who showed us the spikes.
It was lucky that we were there today because the procedure of halting traffic continued for only 20 minutes because of our presence. The soldiers gave up from our talking with them. They had no explanation for what they were doing – “Those are the orders that we received from higher up.”
During a discussion with H., the brigade spokeswoman, she told us that during the past two weeks there were local alerts and therefore the procedure was conducted three times each day at all the checkpoints in the Nablus area. The soldiers in the pillbox decide when to implement 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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
-