Back to reports search page

Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Wed 27.2.08, Afternoon

Observers: Tzipi Z, Michal S (reporting)
Feb-27-2008
| Afternoon

Meitar Crossing (Sansana)
At 12:40 the place is empty. So it is at 14:40 on our way back.
 
Route 60
Small children returning from school, walking on the side of the road.
13:00 Dura – Al Fawwar – Soldiers standing at entrance to Dura, and Israeli vehicles entering and leaving without inspection. The soldiers say that there is a sign "No Entry For Soldiers" at the entrance to the village. The entrance is on the responsibility of the soldiers, but it is not their duty to prevent it.
Two yong men in an Israeli vehicle with green IDs, from Yatta, are detained. The soldiers are checking with the police, and after 20 minutes delay they are released.
The soldiers are not checking ID cards (apart from the passengers of one taxi whose IDs were taken from them before we arrived, and returned after a few minutes). We asked the passengers the reason for the delay, and their response was: "Just like that. No reason."
 Sheep Junction – no army.
 
Route 35
In East Halhul the pillbox was manned, but no army on the road.
 
Route 317, Route 365
13:55 – Zif Junction: a military jeep "demonstrating presence" (the soldiers didn’t get out of the vehicle). After quarter of an hour the jeep left. A Palestinian from the area said that every half hour the jeep makes a patrol and then returns, and in the morning hours (05:30 – 06:30) the soldiers stand and stop people.
At the entrance to Yatta, from 365, a military jeep stands.
 

  • 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

       

       

      סימיא: פרחאן ואשתו בביתם
      Daphna Jung
      Mar-16-2025
      Simia: Farhan and his wife
Donate