The kindergarten in Hashem alDarij
We went to the kindergarten of Huda in Hashem alDarij to hand over the equipment which she needed and bought it with the money from the "Garden Fund" run by Mira.
On the way we were accompanied by children who had been at the kindergarten when small, who were released early from school due to the death of Saeb Erekat. Muhammad knows each and every one of them. In the kindergarten, the 14 older children sat quietly, working on English textbooks.
The roads are pretty empty and so is the city. Many groups of soldiers patrol the triangle of Tel Rumeida - the Cave of the Patriarchs - the pharmacy checkpoint. These are the Nahal soldiers who in a week's time will make way for the paratroopers.
We tried to find out more about an incident that took place the day before and we read about it in the newspaper: Settlers took over an olive grove in the area, harvesting the trees in broad daylight. Neither the polite soldiers who guarded Tel Rumeida nor a local Palestinian who sat there knew the story.
On the other hand we saw some residents harvesting the olives in their well-fenced yards.
The souvenir shops in front of the Cave of the Patriarchs are all closed except for one - out of lack of public interest.
On the lawn below the cave, they set up a guest tent for the affair of “The life of Sarah”, with a warning against crowding because of the Corona.
In front of the closed wholesale market, we met Yehuda Shaul with a group of Swiss diplomats whom he was guiding
Back on Route 60 a long column of IDF armoured vehicles in front of us.
At the Dura El Fawwar junction, the vegetable stalls have returned. The smell is wonderful and the produce looks so healthy!
The gate towards Dura is closed and one of the locals said that there had been stone throwing by children, and the incident is being treated locally. Apparently the children also burned tires, the smell of smoke from the village.
Autumn gives the occupation a more delicate color.