Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Wed 26.3.08, Morning

Meitar – Sansana CP

It is 6:30am, a bus of families who wish to visit prisoners awaits. Tens of farmers were not allowed to pass and were sent home. This was done even though their pass permits are valid till mid June. Shlomi says that their employers must have spoke to the Israeli employment office in order to cancel their permits. Shlomi sends the farmers, who say that in the other checkpoints the passage is allowed, to the Civilian Administration in Hebron.

On the Israeli side of the checkpoint the drivers say that 300 farmers were denied entrance today and the day before. This is because the employers has stopped paying for the permits (later we have spoke with Tarek fron the Civilian Administration who authenticate that claim). No one has bothered to notify the farmers who have risen early came to the checkpoint and waited for no reason.

7:00 am – from the speakers at the checkpoint shouts in Hebrew are being uttered: "do you understand what I am saying to you? Take out all the things that you have in your bags!" The workers take of their shoes, coats and belts. The isolation zone is covered by a green cloth so it is impossible to see what is happening in it.

7:10 am - we left the checkpoint. The visitors buss remained in the same place. When we pass there in our way back – the place is empty. It is 9:40. During our tour Zippi spoke to Nasser, a "Tayaush" and "Betzelem" activist, who needs to press five complaints in the police station at Kiryat Arba. When he arrived to the station he was told that he can't submit all the five in one day and each case should be reported in a different day. In that way every submission of a complaint requires two trips and waste of money, valuable time and a day work.

Road 60
 7:30am – there is no army at Sheep junction and Dura Al-Fawar.
Two Military command cars are located on road 60 a few meters away from each other. There were still present at 8:30.

Hebron
7:45am – the Palestinian children (who are restricted from motor passage here) are walking to school on the road.

At the pharmaceutical check point.
Two CPT volunteers. The men who pass the check point are required to open their jackets, even though they just passed through the magno-meter. A soldier examines a child's bag that looks like he is a second grader. During our stay at the checkpoint all the passers are required to open their bag for the soldier. A child arrives on a wheelchair. The CPT volunteer opens him the barbed wire gate. The volunteer says that most of the people who have passed were not checked and that that this morning was relatively good. He says that in his opinion it is absurd that three weeks ago the school principal arrived to thank the soldiers because they have not checked anybody for two days. He think that it is madness that he should thank somebody for allowing him to move freely in his own city. (if you don't count the magno-meter and the encounter with an armed soldier on the morning).
 Tel Rumeida - 8:00am – there is almost no movement of people. The two soldiers who are situated there look tired. Machpela cave - No detainees.

Road 60 (on the way back to Beer Sheva)
On Pnay Hever road there is ten Palestinians with passes who are detained from 7:30. Next to them a yellow licensed plate Van awaits. The Van is stuck between the gravel blocks. The reason that the Van won't go is that the exit from Bani-Naim is blocked. They tell us that when the car got stuck the driver went to get a tractor. Meanwhile the soldiers arrived and the drivers refuse to return because of fear that the soldiers will hurt him. The soldiers say that no one can go until the driver will return. One of the detainees (and elderly person with a heart condition who does not feel well) complain before the soldiers and request that all the detainee will be released so they can take the car. In response the soldiers are starting to make accusation that the detainee are linked to recent suicide bombing in Dimmona.

A girl passes who has to go several kilometers in order to get to school.

The detainee calls the driver who says that he is afraid to return. They complain and the soldiers reply them: "speak nicely". The Palestinian says that the driver is afraid because the soldiers grab the people and hits them. None of this would have happen if the Bney Naaim entrance was open. At 8:40 we called the Humanitarian center and Addina told us that she will check what is going on. Mean while we went to see the entrance to Bani Naaim which is blocked. And elderly woman (looks proximally 90 years old) barely moves from one car to another on who await on the other side of the blocked entrance. The village people are blocked this way for about a month. The only exit is located and hours drive away. Someone says that we should live as brethren but when his children will see Jews they will want to drink their blood. He says that the sheep here has better lives than the villagers. A car tries to pass from the side and get stuck.
9:00 am – we return to the detainee, their I.D cards are returned to them after we heard from the soldier radio an order for them to live the area and to go to another location in order to secure a vehicle. They release the car.