South Hebron
South Hebron Hills, Thursday 9.12.04, AMWatchers: Edna S., Hadas P (reporting in Hebrew; Elena L. English trans):07:00-09:00SUMMARY: a lot of military vehicles on the roads. No Palestinians detained.There were fresh dirt barriers before the Susiya junction. Dura- al Fawwar:- movement was free and no soldiers were to be seen. Sheep’s Crossing: students were passing on foot – no soldiers were present. Shiyukh-Hebron: Soldiers were standing at the crossing but were letting pedestrians pass freely in either direction. East Halhul: an army jeep was parked there but the traffic was moving freely. The Humanitarian CP- 2 army jeeps were parked near it- there was no traffic at all. Halhul- Hebron bridge: traffic was moving freely on it. The ascent to the bridge from route 35 was closed. Route 356 –there was no traffic, and no soldiers to be seen. Route 317- we saw two blue police cars. At the southern entrance to Samoa two bulldozers were raising the dirt barriers higher.
Halhul-Hebron Bridge
See all reports for this place-
Generally allows free flowing traffic, except for sudden checks by soldiers stationed permanently in the pillbox, on Route 35 in the southern West Bank.
-
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
Yael ZoranMay-22-2025The bumpy road to Ata's house
-
