South Hebron, PM

South Hebron, Wednesday 4.08.04, PM Observers: Mira B., Paula R., Leah Sh., Hagit B (reporting in Hebrew), Elena L (translating into English). We left Shoket at 14:30 and returned there at 18:30. We were a larger group than usual, in order to express our support for the Palestinian inhabitants of the South Hebron Hills on the day chosen by the settlers to conduct a parade and hold an assembly. We drove along route 317 and saw that the bulldozer had again been at work raising the dirt barriers higher. Samoa is completely blocked off from the east. We saw the intended alignment of the wall- and once again it was made clear to us that that the present alignment is aimed at annexing territory and settlements to Israel. It will also place the villagers in this area in an enclave within Israel and will cut them off from Yatta, their regional town. Indeed the road by which the villagers of Khirbet at-Tawani get to Yatta, which had been open for a month, has been closed again this morning!!! Why? We'll try to find out tomorrow –although we can guess the answer- they can get to Yatta via route 317 and we have after all opened the northern gate into Yatta (The villagers later told us that the army had indeed told them to go via faraway Zif junction on route 317 - but there is only one car in the village).At all events now, at 16:00 hours, the yellow gate leading to northern Yatta is closed and locked. We stopped at the water cisterns of Susiya - on Monday we had received a phone call from N., a Palestinian who lives there, who told us of a military action which had taken place against their tents –'combing' in army lingo - there were only women and children in the tents at the time and the soldiers, (eight of them) took out all the food from the tents and a sack of flour had been spilt. H. had already dealt with this incident by phone on Monday (the facts were not denied by the DCO representative T.) Today we came only to see the area. At Khirbet at Tawani we were received hospitably. We were given glasses of a marvelous tea with thyme. We expressed our support for them. We went to see the shop which sells the handwork of the women of the village –dresses and baskets etc. We were told that the police had come that morning again to see the cistern which had been poisoned. The police had also told the villagers that the route of the settlers' march would not go through the village or even near it. From there we continued along route 356 – a lot of military traffic on the road, nuch more than usual. Asam - Yakniton CP was manned. The netting giving shade to the soldiers was up and the soldiers had water!! All the cars on the road had Israeli license plates; they clearly belonged to the settlers. Under the pillbox is a building painted in the colors of the Israeli flag and inscribed with the Biblical phrase "Judea will stay for ever". This point is also the finishing post of the march and so it there were a lot of blue police and soldiers in evidence. Interesting to know whether they were protecting the marchers against the Palestinians or vice versa? Benei Haver junction: The starting point of the settlers' march. The marchers are mainly boys and girls-but perhaps we arrived too early. There are a lot of military vehicles about. At the junction of route 60 with route 356 a flying CP-they didn’t have anyone to stop since in any case Palestinian keep away from these apartheid routes. Beni Na'im Route 60 Junction – open East Halhul – Sair. The crossing is open . There was a blue police patrol car –no detainees. There were no trasits and almost no traffic at all. The pillbox was manned and was decorated with an enormous Israeli flag (this is new). The junction between route 60 and route 35 – the Al- Jura CP. The pillbox is manned and so is the CP. We were on our way to the Halhul –Hebron bridge which is open. On our way back, there was only a soldier's dummy at the Al- Jura CP. The Shiyuch –Hebron crossing (the girl's school). The crossing is open and you take your life in your hands when crossing the main road. There is only a blinking traffic light and no Zebra crossing. The taxi drivers on one side of the crossing say that there have been no flying CPs for a month and a taxi driver on the other side says that only yesterday soldiers were here for two hours and checked everyone who wanted to cross. We met there a man from the organization al-KHAK-a human rights organization affiliated to the UN who told us about the problems he had dealt with today –they concerned water rights and the army at Susiya. Sheep's Crossing – open Dura al- Fawwar crossing – open