South Hebron Hills - even the rainwater is for Jews only

Place:

Dura-Al Fawwar Junction

Hebron

Sansana (Meitar Crossing)

South Hebron Hills

Observers:

Ariela, (photographing and reporting) and Muhammad; Translator: Natanya

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Oct-27-2022

Morning

חברון - צעיר פלסטיני אזוק עם פלנלית על העיניים מובל ל….

Hebron – a soldier leads a young hand-cuffed and blindfolded Palestinian somewhere

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

At the Meitar checkpoint, the parking lot was full. Along the fence, where there was the “11 gates info-icon ” (breaks in the fence), guard posts were set up on the Israeli side, but on the day we were there they were not manned.

We drove on road 60 to Hebron. The junctions on the road, the Samu’ junction, the Dhahariya junction, the Abdah junction, the Dura-Al Fawwar junction, all the junctions were open. At the Beit Hagai intersection we turned to Kiryat Arba and there, the Qilqis intersection was open in both directions.

It is very easy to distinguish between a Palestinian and a Jewish neighborhood by the water boilers on the roofs.

At the entrance to the Kafisha neighborhood, near the synagogue, the gate was closed, but the soldiers opened it for us without any problems.

In Tel Romeida, nets on the windows, but not against mosquitoes. (against the settlers who throw rocks at the houses).

The Jaber neighborhood looks deserted and most of the shops there are closed. In short, Hebron looks like a ghost town.

We arrived at "Beit ha-Heirut" (Freedom House), a block of buildings close to the Pharmacy checkpoint and near the Al Ibrahimiya school. According to the newspaper Israel Hayom, settlers entered a new house on the night of July 27, 2022, in the area of the Jewish settlement in Hebron, Beit haHeirut, near the Cave of Freedom. The house was purchased by the "Expand Your Place" association.

Entering Shuhada Street, we saw the following appalling spectacle: a handcuffed Palestinian youth with a flannel over his eyes being led to....

We gave the money from Rachel Afek to the person we were supposed to give it to.

At the House of Contention , the renovation is over and there is already a new kiosk there.

On the way, Abu Safi, whose land is in the area of road 317, called us. He said that the settler, Israel Kaplan, prevented him from reaching the rainwater that had fallen the day before. Israel went out with his ATV and drove his herd away.

Even the rainwater is for Jews only.

Location Description

Dura/Al Fawwar Junction

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Junction on Route 60: west - the town of El Dura, east - the Al Fawwar refugee camp. There is a manned pillbox at the junction. From time to time the army sets up flying checkpoints at the entrance to El Fawwar and Al Dura. Al-Fawwar is a large refugee camp (7,000 inhabitants in 2007) established in 1949 to accommodate Palestinian refugees from Be'er Sheva and Beit Jubrin and environs. There are many incidents of stone-throwing. In the vicinity of the pillbox there are excellent agricultural areas, Farmers set up stalls adjacent to the plots close to the road. In recent months the civil administration info-icon has set up dirt embankments thereby blocking access to the stalls, and making it impossible for the farmers to sell their vegetables.

Updated April 2021, Michal T.

Hebron

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According to Wye Plantation Accords (1997), Hebron is divided in two: H1 is under Palestinian Authority control, H2 is under Israeli control. In Hebron there are 170,000 Palestinian citizens, 60,000 of them in H2. Between the two areas are permanent checkpoints info-icon , manned at all hours, preventing Palestinian movement between them and controlling passage of permit holders such as teachers and schoolchildren. Some 800 Jews live in Avraham Avinu Quarter and Tel Rumeida, on Givat HaAvot and in the wholesale market.

Checkpoints observed in H2:

Bet Hameriva CP- manned with a pillbox
Kapisha quarter CP (the northern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
The 160 turn CP (the southern side of Zion axis) - manned with a pillbox
Avraham Avinu quarter - watch station
The pharmacy CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
Tarpat (1929) CP - checking inside a caravan with a magnometer
Tel Rumeida CP - guarding station
Beit Hadassah CP - guarding station

Three checkpoints around the Tomb of the Patriarchs

תעודת ההוקרה שקיבל אדריס המנוח מהישוב היהודי בחברון כשהציל יהודי מלינץ כשטעה בדרך

Mar-27-2024

Michal Tsadik

The certificate of appreciation that the late Idris received from the Jewish settlement in Hebron when he saved a Jew who had lost his way from lynch

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Yata / Southern Hebron hills

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Yatta is a city located in the South Hebron Hills region. It is located in the border zone between the fertile area of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants. The surrounding villages are called Masafar Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, a number of settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with the withholding of water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.

There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Road blocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.

Updated April 2022

Apr-25-2024

Michal Tsadik

Rahwa - the building they have a demolition order on

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Meitar

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Sansana (Meitar Crossing)

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The checkpoint is located on the Green Line and serves as a border crossing between Israel and the West Bank. It is managed by the Border Crossing Authority of the Defense Ministry. It is comprised of sections for the transfer of goods as well as a vehicle checkpoint (intended for holders of blue identity cards, foreign nationals or diplomats and international organizations). Passing of Palestinians is prohibited, except for those with entry permits to Israel. Palestinians are permitted to cross on foot only. The crossing has a DCO (District Coordination Office), a customs unit, supervision, and a police unit.

In the last year, a breach has been opened in the fence, not far from the crossing. This breach is known to all, including the army. There does not appear to be any interest in blocking it, probably as it permits needed Palestinian workers without the bureaucratic permits to get to work in Israel. Food stalls and a parking area economy have been created, but incidents of violent abuse by border police have also been recorded.

Updated April 2022