Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Sun 27.7.08, Morning
6:30-11:00
Summary: a lot of roadblocks and checking by the army around the city of Hebron. Possibly the result of the military raid to look for wanted Palestinians yesterday.
6:40 Meitar (Sansana) CP
At least 200 workers standing in a queue which advanced very slowly. After we rang to ask what the problem was the pace seemed to quicken. Shlomi was not present at the CP. Some of his men told us of a technical problem with the electronic checking devices which was slowing the whole process down. According to our calculations it took more than 30 minutes to get through the actual inspection once one had got inside the first turnstile.
Route 60
8:10 Dura –al-Fawwar: A long queue of vehicles coming from Dura towards route 60 and Al-Fawwar. Soldiers were checking some of the cars.
Beit Haggai –the gate was closed and an army jeep and two soldiers were waiting there –for somebody?
Sheep Crossing – The big yellow gates on either side of route 60 were closed. Some of the Palestinians waiting to get through with their cars said the gates had been closed for the past two hours and some said that they had been closed since 2:00 am A soldier was in the pillbox watching the crossing. There were no soldiers on the ground. There was one long queue of vehicles waiting to enter Hebron from route 60 and another waiting to pass from the direction of Yatta onto route 60. An ambulance which arrived wanting to enter Hebron opened the gate on the Hebron side of the crossing and after that the gate on the Yatta side was also opened. On our return journey the gates were still open and there was an army jeep checking cars leaving Hebron
Shiyukh –Hebron – soldiers were sitting in a jeep by the side of the road and only checking Palestinians carrying bags or parcels.
Route 35
The Humanitarian Gate: was closed. On the way back we saw soldiers manning it who had stopped two cars carrying peace volunteers from the EU (Italians) who wanted to get into Hebron and couldn’t understand why they were not being allowed to do so.
Halhul bridge – Hebron – the bridge was black with the vast number of people standing in the road among a mass of cars and vans. One jeep and 4 soldiers had laid out spikes on the road near the Hebron side of the bridge and were preventing movement in either direction. Occasionally a few cars or an ambulance was let through. At 10:00 the bridge was opened and all the pedestrians crossed quickly. The cars were checked and went through more slowly.
Hebron – Beit Kahal road – This road was also blocked and only opened after 10:00
Idna – the gate was open and soldiers were checking the cars passing through
On the way back on route 60 more Palestinians vehicles were observed than Israeli ones.
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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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