The Environs of Hebron, Thursday 22.9 AMObservers: Hagit B (reporting in Hebrew ) Elena L ( English)6:30-9:00Summary: Ten days ago a new CP came into being at the junction between route 3255 (the road linking the three settlements Tene , Omerim and Eshkolot) and route 354.This CP is aimed at the inhabitants of Dhahariya- the separation (bidul) has reached the South –the inhabitants of Dhahariya are not allowed to enter Ramadin, despite the fact that both the communities are very closely linked together – schools, work etc. Work on the fence is progressing very quickly.Work permits- only a very few receive them and only those permits dated after the 28.8 are valid. Sansana CP- Only a few workers pass through. Construction work, to transfer the CP directly onto the turn-off to Sansana, is going on. Mobile WCs and an observation tower have already been set up. The border policemen there don’t have any real work. The security guards intended for the fence are organizing themselves and Palestinian workers are walking in the direction of the fence – they are working on it: what one doesn’t do to make a living.Ramadin CP (perhaps this is not its official name, but I am calling it this-because of its location). There are two raised observation posts (one on either side of the road) and a pillbox is being constructed. The CP is manned by soldiers from the Barak regiment of Golani brigade and while we were there the four the patrol came to visit them and so, for a short while, more soldiers were present. The 4 soldiers conducted their checking in a business-like fashion and one of them- the officer in charge – E – even allowed a worker whose permit had not been renewed after 28.8.05 (it was stamped as valid till early October but it had been issued before the 28th august). We hoped that our presence there had helped him decide. Lorries and cars going in both directions were checked – the drivers and passengers were made to step out of the vehicles , but there were no detainees while we were there. One young lad walked through the CP in the direction of his school in Dahariya . He had a carefully styled “spiked” haircut, and one of the soldiers shouted to his companions: “Apparently there are lot of good looking girls in his school”. Cars carrying families going to Dahariya from Ramadin passed through the CP without any problems. People who want to go from Dahariya to Ramadin were forbidden to pass –only those with valid permits are allowed to enter Israel. The soldiers claimed that they were applying what they termed “separation ” (bidul) and that this was because there were “quiet” (sleeping?) Hamas units in Dahariya and the army was concerned lest they “stir up” the inhabitants of Ramadin. These two communities have close economic and social ties – and we saw school kids from Ramadin whose school was in Dahariya –and vice versa. Both these villages are situated within the West Bank territories – and there is no apparent reason for this internal CP except to harass and oppress a conquered population. Route 317Fresh dirt barriers are visible all along the road. The industrial park Meitarim is being extended and work on the fence (which can be observed from the road) continues at an extraordinary pace. H had been away for a fortnight and she was surprised to see that there were already a road and a cement base along the whole length of the fence.The CP at the turn –off to Yatir forest. No one was passing through. The army base next to it has been extended by a new company’s tents. This is one of the bases of the Lavi regiment.Kongo CP -at the turn-off to Arad. We went along a dirt road to see the fence from close up. Beit Yatir settlement – which is well within the OT -will be annexed to Israel and the fence will run along the western side of the settlement. Sussiya and all the other settlements in the area will be on the Palestinian side of the fence. The fence is only 100 meters away from the school of the small village of Nazlin which almost adjoins Beit Yatir settlement. We saw the car carrying the teachers of the school and followed it. The teachers and pupils (boys and girls of primary school age) were pleased to see us and knew H’s name. We saw the morning assembly and watched one of the boys draw up the only drinking water (or any kind of water) available in the school in a rubber bucket from a cistern on the edge on the school yard. The teachers said they would ring us if they should have to deal with any problems worse than the ones they already face.We returned home and did not do the rest of our usual tour because of the pressure of time.