The kindergarten in Umm al Kheir
We went out with a car loaded with boxes that Zvia had collected for a new preschool in Umm al-Kheir. On the way there, passing on Route 317, the electricity company was connecting the illegal settlements and outposts with a new electricity grid: Asael, farms of Gedaliah, Mitzpe Yair, Abigail, Havat Maon, Maon and Carmel.
A new outpost – a trailer and a large water tank – can be seen in front of Susiya. I wouldn’t be surprised if soon the way is paved and the outpost will be connected to the electricity and water network, something which the Palestinians cannot even dream of.
We reached the Umm al-Kheir kindergarten after the children have finished studying. We unloaded the crates and helped a little to sort out the mess the kids left behind. Many thanks to Zvia for the amount of equipment she collected for the kindergarten. The children will enjoy this so much.
The Umm al-Kheir community center and beyond the fence the Carmel settlement are very green.
In the meantime you can see that there are not many toys in the garden but there is a library.
The roads were all open without barriers or the presence of military vehicles as if there is no occupation.
South Hebron Hills
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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
MuhammadFeb-24-2026South Hebron Hill, Beit Hagai: Paving an internal security road
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