Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Sun 29.8.10, Morning
Given the switch to winter-time in Israel, it is now an hour earlier in the West Bank, and unfortunately this is too early to observe happenings in Hebron, or to buy grapes and figs along Route 35.
Sansana Crossing
The Palestinian side was empty and a lot of workers are waiting for their shuttles on the Israeli side. We did not stay long.
Route 60
There are more and more Palestinian cars on the road and you have to be careful driving on the two-lane road. At the entrances to Palestinian villages where checkpoints were taken down — e.g. Dahariya, Shiyuch, and Dura — there are now red signposts, warning against entering area A, which is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. The signs do not deter settlers or the army from entering, but are designed to eliminate civilian contact that supposedly endangers our security.
Next to the entrance to Dura, there is an unoficial signpost marking the entrance to Negohot and thereby implicitly inviting the settlers to simply ignore the official red signposts! There is another red signpost at the entrance to Shiyuch. But the other side is closed and there are concrete blocks on the road. Parents who previously drove their children to school to help them cross the dangerous road can no longer do so because of the concrete blocks near the school.
Hebron
It was early and we passed through the empty city without anything happening.
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
Muhammad D.Oct-10-2026Smadar with Najeh in Umm Qusa
-