Visits to Villages

Translator:  Charles K.

Sansana-Meitar crossing

We left for the Meitar border crossing at 06:30.  Everything there was quiet; even though more laborers are crossing to work in Israel they go through pretty quickly.

Southern Hebron Hills – A Tawwani

We drove to Tawwani to see whether the children safely traverse the road between Ma’on and the Ma’on farm.  This is the first time I’ve been there.  We arrived at 07:30; the two Italian volunteers showed up around 07:40.  We don’t yet see either the children or the military vehicle.

At 07:50 the military vehicle arrives and the children begin walking down the road to school.  The military vehicle doesn’t escort them; the children approach the Ma’on farm alone.  Suddenly we see a vehicle coming from the direction of the farm, and then – and only then – does the military vehicle drive down to where the road to the school meets the road coming from the farm, apparently to make sure nothing happens.

As someone there for the first time who notices things that people who’ve become used to the place may overlook, and because I’d read the report Michal sent us two weeks ago, I think we must again demand that a more orderly procedure be established – that the army commit to appear at a set time or, as an alternative, that the children be driven back and forth to school.  It’s worth asking Machsom Watch’s lawyer about this.

Natanya translating.

When we got to Kafr Kassem Nadin told us that the director of the centre at Kira had phoned to say that the women would not be coming to the centre because they were in mourning for a friend of theirs who had died. Therefore we decided to take a slightly longer tour.

10.00 Haris. The village was quiet and abandoned. Most of the shops were shut. It was rainy and misty. Outside the village in the olive orchards the almond trees were in bloom….beautiful.

10.10 Kif'l Harith.  The village was completely empty.  Here too we saw the almond trees in bloom.

10.15 Qira.There were a few people in the streets and little traffic.

10.25 Zeita.   Here we saw no people or cars. 

10.30 Einabus.Here there was more traffic, both of people and of cars. We went to the market in the middle of the village. Opposite us we saw the corpses of cows and sheep hung up on a line for sale and also for a meal.  This is something we have not seen for a long time in the middle of a town.

10.35 Huwwara.We went through the village and came to the checkpoint. We saw a group of soldiers checking the cars entering Nablus. Most of the cars were allowed through immediately but sometimes one was stopped for a very long and detailed search. I asked the soldiers why there were such searches today and received the reply…"Routine checks."  I asked the most senior soldier amongst them how he knew which car to check and he replies, "I already have experience. I have developed an insight and a knowledge which is particular to this."  It is important to note that the opposite line of car which were coming from Nablus were not checked at all.

11.05 Za'tara/Tapuach CP.  The checkpoint was almost empty……no soldier at all.

11.20 Shomron crossing….We go home.

09:30  We left from the Rosh Ha’ayin train station.  There’s no English class today because the club is being used for local elections.

The circuit:

10:00  Tapuach junction.  A few soldiers man the checkpoint but aren’t checking vehicles; traffic flows.  (A few hours later we heard on the radio about a serious incident there.  It turns out that the quiet is only temporary and apparent; a conflagration can erupt at any moment).

10:15  To Huwwara.  The town is full of life.  Some shops have elegant shop windows.  Americanization infiltrates here also.  Colorful advertisements, some in English.  Even images of Bob Sponge Pants.  On the other side of town – the checkpoint.  Adjoining it – a new plaza, with a structure made of three arches, olive trees planted around it.  Piles of sand and gravel indicate that construction at the plaza hasn’t been completed yet.  We don’t see any laborers.  The rain must have delayed the work.  How wonderful that the Israeli occupation invests in esthetics…

The checkpoint is open and traffic flows.

10:40  The rain stopped as we drove to the Jit junction; the sun shines pleasantly.  Almond trees follow nature’s orders, blossoming white and pink along the road.  Funduq is quiet.  Little traffic in the street, and few pedestrians.

11:00  Nabi Elias.  Full of life.  People come out to the streets after the rain stops. 

Then to the Eliyahu crossing.  Solitary Palestinian vehicles go through without inspection.

11:15  We return to Rosh Ha’ayin.

Translator:  Charles K.

Southern Hebron Hills

Nothing unusual at the Meitar crossing and along Highway 60, until… at the entrance to Deir Razah, which we’ve been glad to see has been open for a long time, a red sign has been erected warning Israelis against entering Area A.  We stopped to find out what it means.  The sign is, in fact, new, as of yesterday.  How come?

A man who lives nearby tells us also about demolition orders issued for a number of buildings.

We called our friend N. who lives in the village.  “Come, I’ll tell you,” he says.  So we drove to his new grocery store.

“Yes,” he says, “the sign was erected yesterday, but about two weeks ago representatives of the Palestinian Authority, together with its engineer and representatives of an engineering firm from El Bireh which had been selected in a tender to develop the area, gathered residents of a number of villages – Deir Razah, Wadi al Shagaheh, Hadab al Fawwar, Khirbet Bisham, Hafayr Bisham, Qarameh and Tarameh – and told them:  The lands of all these villages will be divided between Area B and Area C.  Deir Razah, for example, has 2500 dunums.  “We,” said the engineers, “will leave you 800 dunums for development in Area B, and the remainder will become Area C.”  The plan presented to them transfers thousands of dunums belonging to each of the villages to Area C in a way that simply divides the villages in two.  They were told that nature preserves and antiquities sites will be protected, but that roads will be paved and public buildings constructed.  A 50-year plan.

The same applies to the other villages.  The firm’s engineers asked the village representative if they had any objections.  The response:  “Give us detailed maps specifying the areas, along with detailed explanations, and we’ll tell you what we think.”  “Alright,” said the engineers.  They need satellite photos, etc.  Wait.  So they’re waiting “until the clouds disperse,” literally.

N. asks, and answers:  These engineers certainly wouldn’t have come without authorization from the Palestinian Authority, but what’s going on here!?  Because demolition orders have also been issued for buildings.  People feel very bad, they’re very apprehensive and angry because everything’s going on over their heads without their involvement and without any explanation.

While this doesn’t appear to be an example of the Civil Administration’s arbitrary behavior, how can the Palestinian Authority relinquish thousands of dunums without explanation and without informing the residents in advance?

There are many questions and facts that have to be investigated from the legal perspective.  So we called Hagit Ofran, from B’Tselem, and asked her to look into it.

We contacted S., a Palestinian attorney from Jerusalem who represents various organizations.  He says he knows the people in the El Bireh firm (we have their names) and will look into it.  He also suggested we involve people from “Bimkom.”  We’ll do so.

Israel citizens are told there aren’t any talks with the Palestinian Authority because there’s allegedly no one to talk to, but suddenly things are happening in the field indicating that some kinds of talks are going on but without informing the local residents, without preserving their rights, and with the likely outcome being  more and more of their land being expropriated on behalf of “Greater Israel.”

I can think of many questions to ask.  All over the world citizens are being trampled by their corrupt regimes.

Hebron

It’s quiet…quiet.  Nothing new under the sun.  As of today.

Trans. Charles K.

Raya collected many bags of winter clothing; we drove to give them to Fadel in Umm Faqra.  The family received us happily, with cups of tea, and we saw his attempts to make progress building his house.  (Question:  If you had elections, whom would you vote for?  Neither for Fatah nor for Hamas, because he’s angry.)

There’s a demonstration on Saturday at Tawwani junction because the road between Yatta and Tawwani was closed.  Fadel says he took his six-month old son who was sick to the Yatta hospital; the car got stuck on the boulders blocking the road and they couldn’t continue until a vehicle arrived from Yata.  They transferred the patient by the back-to-back method, like at a checkpoint.

When we left we saw that some of the roadblock, boulders and earth, had been removed by hand by villagers from A-Tawwani, Umm Tuba and Umm Faqra.

We wonder how long it will take before a tractor comes to block the road again.

Hebron

Nothing new here; Kfir brigade soldiers seem calm.  Many tourists at the Cave of the Patriarchs; we’re directed to make a detour. 

We received photocopies of three IDs of people seeking help to obtain Israeli work permits, or at least a magnetic card.  We understand that Sylvia gets them; we’ll give them to her, hoping she can help.

Trans. Charles K.

Raya collected many bags of winter clothing; we drove to give them to Fadel in Umm Faqra.  The family received us happily, with cups of tea, and we saw his attempts to make progress building his house.  (Question:  If you had elections, whom would you vote for?  Neither for Fatah nor for Hamas, because he’s angry.)

There’s a demonstration on Saturday at Tawwani junction because the road between Yatta and Tawwani was closed.  Fadel says he took his six-month old son who was sick to the Yatta hospital; the car got stuck on the boulders blocking the road and they couldn’t continue until a vehicle arrived from Yata.  They transferred the patient by the back-to-back method, like at a checkpoint.

When we left we saw that some of the roadblock, boulders and earth, had been removed by hand by villagers from A-Tawwani, Umm Tuba and Umm Faqra.

We wonder how long it will take before a tractor comes to block the road again.

Hebron

Nothing new here; Kfir brigade soldiers seem calm.  Many tourists at the Cave of the Patriarchs; we’re directed to make a detour. 

We received photocopies of three IDs of people seeking help to obtain Israeli work permits, or at least a magnetic card.  We understand that Sylvia gets them; we’ll give them to her, hoping she can help.

Translator:  Charles K.

Meitar crossing

All the laborers have crossed.  Four buses wait for relatives of prisoners. 

Election posters for national-religious parties on every wall and fence in Hebron and all along the way.

Hebron

Everything’s as usual.  We visited the renovated neighborhood opposite the Cave of the Patriarchs (see photo on top, below), around which the apartheid fence is rising on behalf of the Worshippers route.

The houses are lovely, the alleys like those in Old Jaffa.  The renovations were carried out by Spanish organizations.  But this is area H2, which the Palestinian Authority doesn’t take care of and which the Civil Authority is, of course, neglecting.  The stench of urine, garbage tossed everywhere and a feeling of no man’s land surrounding us.  The sign reads “Grenada Plaza.”  It could look like Grenada, but it doesn’t.

Routine at all the checkpoints.  A calm soldier at Curve 160 talks with passers-by.  A water pipe burst and they’re all waiting for someone to repair it.  Many children carrying pails are on their way to the mosque to get their daily soup.

We were told about demolition of homes in the Southern Hebron Hills, so we drove there.

Southern Hebron Hills

We turned off Highway 356 to the area of Dir’at and from there to a place called Huwwara or, more exactly, “Sha’ab al Mr’ar.”  Someone from Dir’at helped us find it.  Many people standing around the well and building that were demolished this morning.  A building demolished last week is nearby.  A UN vehicle arrives a few minutes after us.

This is Area C, remember.  People show us their applications for building permits.  None were approved.  Although it’s their land, it’s too close to the Ma’on settlement; P'nei Hever is visible from a distance.

Like their Jewish neighbors, they’re holding on to the land and trying to create something there, build one house, then another.  But they’ll never receive building permits and the state of Israel will embitter their lives to establish more settlements.

“How can you live this way?” a man asks us. 

“It’s the Israelis,” he says.

“We’re also Israeiis,” we say, “We came to support you and are ashamed of what our government does.”

“We’ll write about it,” we promise, “and about how strongly we oppose what’s happening here.”

“Thank you very much,” they say.

We also drove to the Ma’on area because they’d been told that the rubble had been brought there.

Many reservists and police at the entrance to the locality checking detainees and their vehicle.  No, they didn’t see buildings demolished, they arrived later.

Shortly before we came they’d set up a flying checkpoint and stopped a vehicle and its passengers.  They felt something was wrong and called the police to investigate.  The reservists express understanding for what we’re doing. 

“But I prefer that we’re here and do the job that someone has to do,” one of them says.

“You’re different from other soldiers,” I say. 

“Certainly, I make sure to behave respectfully and fairly to those I have to inspect,” he replies.

“Why do you have to do it?,” we ask.

“We’re a democracy,” they say.

“Is this democratic?” I ask.

“We’re a country of laws,” they reply.

“We’re a country of laws, but what about justice and morality?” I ask.

They nod and say something about the difference between their personal opinions and their obligations as law-abiding citizens.

Will we have this endless, pointless argument again?  No.

So we drove home.

Translator: Hanna K.

9:30 We leave with Nadim from Kfar Kassem.

9:45 – Shomron CP – we passed without problem. Traffic flows from both directions.

9:55- Haris – The shops are open and children and families are on the street. This is the beginning of a two weeks' school holiday.

10:00 - Kif'l Harith' –most shops are open. A pedestrian sidewalk is being built.

10:05 - Qira -  The village is quiet, not much pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

We arrived at the club, waited about 20 minutes for the women to arrive, and began our lessons.

This time it was possible to operate the heater. They explained that in the West Bankin general and in the village especially it is difficult to pay for the electricity. Perhaps we should consider how we could help them in this matter.are

At 11:15 we changed the groups around, so that each participant got a yoga lesson as well as an English lesson. We were told that part of the women did not arrive owing to the school holidays and part because of a funeral in the village.

12:10 We left the club. This time we didn't go on a tour.

09:30  We left from the Rosh Ha’Ayin train station.

We’d only arrived at the Shomron gate when we saw something unusual – an army jeep on the road and armed soldiers on both sides of the road.

10:00  We reached Hars.  Again we saw a group of armed soldiers, stationed at the entrance to the village.  They’re not blocking the entrance or preventing entry.

This is our first emotional, happy meeting with the group of women learning English after a three-week break during which the mothers were busy because of mid-term school exams.  (Parents are expected to prepare their children for exams.) 

In addition to the English class, there are about twenty women in the club knitting hats and scarves.  They’re paid for the work by an international organization that assists refugees and orphans.  The organization donates the items to children from needy families.

Our circuit:  We left Hars at 10:00.  Armed soldiers are also stationed at the entrance to the Ariel industrial zone, on the road to Brukin.  They’re not stopping cars; traffic flows.  Brukin is quiet.  Few people in the street.

From there to Kafr a-Diq.  Life proceeds there normally with no disturbances.

Again we weren’t able to meet with Hanan, the club’s director.  When we drove back toward the industrial zone the soldiers were gone.   They’d packed up.

11:45  Back to Hars, then to Rosh Ha’Ayin.

We had plans to visit more than one village but, as usual, events overtook us 

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See these pictures, for living conditions in the Hebron hills

*

This morning we set out a bit later than usual and M suggested we go to two of the Sth Hebron villages in area C.  

En Faqqara (which means something like Mother of Poverty and it is indeed very poor) and Um al Hir (Mother of Morning?) although we didn't make it that far. 

Here there is a very different reality and I wanted to photograph there. Those who get their ideas about how Palestinians live from the internet, should better take a visit to this village

We stopped at the sheep market at Tzomet haKvassim between Yatta and Hebron to sense the mood. . The Palestinians asked who we were and Natanya told them about MachsomWatch and they found it hard to believe that we were Israeli Jews and not foreigners which is very important. 

From there, we moved on to a very different story: an arid poverty stricken scene (for which, see photos), where the family we visited lived during the recent snow in a cave.  You can get a sense of how cold the area is. Here in Jerusalem the snow has mostly melted but there, even along the way to Hebron, the fields were still covered with snow. So nice to get out of your warm car and take some photos while you shiver, then get back into the warm car and know that at home, you have your warm bath and heating waiting. The water was even dripping down from the roof of the cave on to the tangle of electric wires. Of course it looks a mess. One wonders how house-proud a person can be under such circumstances. Muhammed said that they had sat there with the family and how miserable it had been. And you can see the house they are building now and how 'huge' it is…it would probably fit into the average Israeli flat, but is still now awaiting destruction as it was built without a permit......which of course cannot be obtained. 

From there, we took a woman and her three sick children to A-Tawanni where we stopped at the clinic. It was packed with people, mainly women, at least 50, in a building maybe as big as an average Israeli flat,  MAYBE, and only one doctor there. This I did not photograph as I think it would have been insulting to do so and did not even ask permission to photograph. We couldn't find out reliably who runs the clinic. Operation Dove, the Italian volunteers think it is either the Palestinian Red Crescent or something called Medical Care, but the service is not provided by Israel who, as the occupier, actually has responsibility for the well-being of the people living under occupation, according to the many conventions to which Israel is a signatory.

The 3-5 km road between the two villages is unbelievably bad. Even M in the van said had he known how bad it was he would not have gone on it. But the villagers have no choice as the good road on top is only for the Lords of the Land.  As we left the village we saw that a border police patrol had blocked the entrance and there were about 7 of them  there. We never found out why. We saw that there was Nasser from Btselem (who lives at Sussiya) being checked on his way into the village, very odd... I smiled through the window at one of the border policeman who looked at me and spat on th e ground very obviously. So we got out and the soldier was very rude and did not deny that he had spat but said that if we wanted to make a complaint we could do that.  I said to him that we had not given him any reason to act like that  and that his behavior had been disgusting. The other soldiers just kept trying to get him away and avoid the incident. We noted the number of their car, which was a civilian vehicle with civilian license plates. The situation was very unpleasant but  the more you ignore or upset this kind of behavior the more the soldiers will allow themselves to act in that way. We will write to the Border Police command and complain.

On Route 317 going to the villages we noticed a military patrol marching along intently, to no apparent purpose, maybe looking for a place to set up a flying checkpoint. On the return to Beersheva (Yehudit and M only), there was a slight argument with the woman on duty in the budke and she purposely detained us, calling the shift leader to 'interrogate' us. Fortunately he knew MachsomWatch and after a short discussion told us we were free to go since it was clear there was no reason to hold us.  While it is important to challenge the 'security forces' when they are rude, obstructive or aggressive, it is more effective to address the higher ranks, either on the spot or in writing afterwards. Cerrtainly not to get in arguments with them.  The guys (and girls) on the ground won't back down and the power struggle is not worth the effort and counterproductive to our work which is watching and reporting. (last bit written by Yehudit).  

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