South Hebron Hills

Spouth Hebron Tuesday morning, 9 November 2004Observers:Michal T., Leah Y., Zafrira A [report in English], Hagit B.[report in Hebrew]Visitors: Nurit K and Shai [photographer]We left Tel Shocket at 7.00 and returned at 10.30A quiet morning. No soldiers at the familiar checkpoints, except in pillboxes and some jeeps and humvees on the road.Vary little Palestiniam traffic on the roads where their travel is permitted, and hardly any pedestrians.Checkpoint Sansana on the Green Line border in place of Shama which has been dismantled. Morning traffic of Israeli cars [settlers?] heavy in the direction of Israel. We passed with a smile and a wave.A new checkpont, fairly heavily manned at the turnoff to Arad via Yattir and in the distance we saw the beginning of another illegal settlement. Zif The gate is open but the entrance to Beni Naim is blocked off. No police and no army except in the pillbox."Humanitarian" checkpoint [for passage of ambulances and health care materiel]: The gate is open.Halhul-Hebron bridge is open but very little traffic is using it. Sheeps crossing: Very few pedestrians. On the Hebron side, very high earthworks with rocks in two rows blocking off all paths and leaving only the main road clear.Dura - Al Fawwar - cars can cross rd 60 at this point. Earthworks on both sides Hirbet El Tawani. We arrived at 7.45 and saw the ridiculous and pathetic sight of 6 children aged 6-10 together with an adult plodding along in the distance with an army jeep accompanying them to protect them from the "overlord" settlers. [Note: this has been the site of stone-throwing attacks ON Palestinian schoolchildren.] After 15 minutes they arrived where we waited at the school. The jeep had arrived late so they had missed the start of the school day.Comment: These six children are no doubt a great danger to the settlers of Maon and must be prevented from crossing near settlement on their way to school.In the distance we see the settlers' car following the progress of these "dangerous" elements. So far the army has stood by its commitment to protect the children, but for how long? Apart from dismantling the settlement, there must be some legal action that can be taken, or does Israeli law not apply in the Occupied Territories?The clinic has started to be built in El Tawani.We also met Andrea from the UN and another representative of the Christian Humanitarian Assn.