Hebron – Palestinians are not allowed on Zion Axis

Meitar crossing: On the Palestinian side, a man named Mohammad approached and told us that  in addition to the normal  checking which is at the crossing, the army had  added a further check about the validity of the documents.

Route 60:

Near the border fence, near  Meitar, we see white vans driving up and down looking for illegal residents.

Hebron:

We met Bassem, our friend of old , who lives on Tzir (Axis) Zion, in front of Beit Ha- Meriva (sorry, peace). (The House of Contenion which is not the House of Peace, as the settlers call it). He reports that life has become difficult. In the past, he was allowed to travel on Tzir (Axis) Zion on which no Palestinian vehicle can travel freely. But now, for some reason, his trip on the Tzir (Axis) Zion is forbidden again. Therefore, in order to allow the use of the vehicle, it is parked in a parking lot next to the small mosque, which is beyond the checkpoint of the Beit Ha-Meriva, on the Palestinian side. From there, you have to manually carry goods and supplies, up and down the stairs to the House of Contention. He has no idea when they will be allowed to travel on the path again. A small vignette, to the difficulties of life of a Palestinian in the shadow of apartheid in Hebron.

Tel Rumeida: We talked to Hamudi from the grocery store, which is up the hill, right next to the junction: on one side, the Jewish houses, and on the other, the Palestinian houses, between which are the Jewish cemetery renovated by the settlers, and the Beit Midrash of Chabad, which overlooks the other, Palestinian side of Hebron. As you know, the Palestinian residents are not allowed to drive vehicles within the extended boundaries of the Jewish neighbourhood of Tel Rumeida. Hamudi reports on a recent difficulty: the soldiers at the checkpoint check them once and twice a day, delaying them for a check that sometimes takes half an hour, and this causes frustration and humiliation.