Hebron and South Mount Hebron , Wednesday, 7/02/2007 amObservers: Ilana L, Mira B (reporting)8.15 to 11.15Route 60:The security fence is in place. But there are openings, along the path of the sheep, it seems. Just before Samua an army jeep is parked at the side of the road. It is waiting for the cars that try to avoid the blockades. There are new blockades, constructed with rocks and concrete, opposite Otniel. Dahariya: As usual is blocked off.There is a new block at Carma. Dura al Fuar: Open to traffic. The pillbox is manned. Later on we heard that shots had been fired at the pillbox. We did not see anything. Sheep Junction: Open to pedestrians. There is a lot of mud. 300 meters from the crossing on the Yatta side, right near Hebron . Everyone has to climb on the heaps of mud. Including women carrying babies. An army jeep is parked at the side. There is a heavy army presence.Hebron –Shiuch:> The girls’ school at 9.00: There is a border patrol jeep, no. 611124, parked at the side of Shiuch. Two private cars and two taxis are detained. The taxis: One has been detained for one and a half hours, and the second for half an hour, according to the drivers. The private cars: one delayed for one and a half hours, and the second for an hour, according to the drivers. The soldiers it appears are examining IDs. They are waiting for instructions from the General Security Services, so they say. The passengers remain in the vehicles. One of the private cars is driven by an Israeli Arab from Beit Shemesh. He annoyed the soldiers because he did not want to stand outside his vehicle (it was very cold, and there was a strong wind), and he would not switch off the engine because of the cold. He has a physical handicap. The officer decided to punish him, and to detain him for three hours, and after that for a further two hours. He completed a report on violation of routine. We contacted the officer of the border police. Someone called Rose spoke to us, she promised to speak to Chief Superintendent, Gidi Ovadia. The driver, on his own initiative, phoned Danny Elbaz from Machash. We spoke to him and he said that what the driver had done was absolutely in order, and he would try to get in touch with the officer. Meantime we tried to speak with the soldiers. They had not heard of MachsomWatch, and did not understand why it was a problem to stop cars. “They sit in their cars, they don’t get cold, where are they rushing to?” The officer also did not understand that it is not within his authority to impose “educational” punishments on the population. Ilana talked about the occupation, and at the end of the conversation, one of the soldiers agreed that it would be good for everyone if we were not in the territories. Around 10:00 all the cars were free to go except the Arab from Beit Shemesh. We exchanged telephone numbers with him, and we left. On the way back, around 10:30 we saw that he had been released, a total of nearly three hours detention, for nothing. Route 35:The Humanitarian Crossing: This was closed. There was temporary checkpoint manned by border police and blue police. Halhoul Bridge: Open Idna: Open, a heavy army presence on the road. Hebron: We did not enter because the children are on their winter vacation. Roads 317, 356: Ziff checkpoint: Open. Beyond the checkpoint is a temporary checkpoint. There are about 20 cars in the line, waiting. The Israeli cars cross freely. We spoke to the soldiers who said that there had been shots at a pillbox in the region of Dura al Fuar. The checkpoint was immediately opened. Tawani:The entrance to Yatta was open.