Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Sun 21.6.09, Morning
trans. by Paula R.
07:00 – 10:30
In brief:
* Observing the aftermath of a burned tent in Sussia (photo attached).
* An Initiative: a settler sets up a checkpoint and detains three young boys (photo attached).
Sansana-Meitar CP
We arrived after 7 o’clock. The workers had already passed. Families of prisoners were passing.
Road 60
Traffic is sparse.
Hebron
No detainees at the checkpoints.
Sussia:
Nasser welcomed us and showed us the results of arson by settlers to a tent. This is what he said: Three people were sleeping in the tent. After 2:00am, dogs started to bark but the neighbors thought it was a military patrol. They woke up because the smoke suffocated them. They put out the fire with buckets of water. They did not hear the noise of an approaching vehicle. However, soon after extinguishing the fire, they discerned a light that seemed from a cell-phone and saw a vehicle moving uphill toward the outpost [illegal settlement] of Degel. The police arrived some time later and suggested that it could have happened because of a cigarette. But the fire burst from outside of the tent not from within. The three habitants went in the morning to the Hebron Police station, to file a complaint. Yesh Din [literally: "Law obtains": Israeli NGO] has been informed.
History: Nasser tells us of their constant harassment by the settlers – rooting up of olive trees, killing a sheppards' dog, beatings, bullying and threats. The purpose of all this is to force the inhabitants out of the southern hills of Hebron. It began in 1982 and by 1986, they were driven from ancient Sussia. So they [settlers] took over their private lands. After a long legal battle, the Israeli High Court acknowledged the locals' right over their land, but permits for building home there are not issued (The engineer who refuses their requests lives in a nearby illegal settlement in a caravan).
Harassment: A bully-settler frightens three young brothers: We left Sussia and, as we rode on Road 317 we saw three boys (brothers between 11–14yrs) standing frightened before a settler who told them not to move: “stana!”
"Why?" we asked.
The settler, Avidan, as we learned, did not give us any explanation. He wore a shirt of The Jewish Agency. The boys told our driver that they cannot go on their way because of the CP. We told the settler that he has no right to detain the boys, but he kept prohibiting from making any move: "Stana!" The children were terrified, so we escorted them and the settler went on, into the field towards his herd.
This was a frightening experience for the children and a frustrating one for us.
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
Smadar BeckerApr-10-2026New Israeli flags placed for miles on Highway 317 to prove who is sovereign
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