Hebron, South Hebron Hills, Mon 26.12.11, Morning
Trans. by Jenny L.
It's raining
The vineyards are leafless
The occupation continues.
Because of the foggy weather and the Channukah holiday, life around here gets off to a late start. The flow of vehicles is very light and even the people are barely visible. We asked Simya inhabitants how they were getting on as we had heard of the intention to demolish buildings there. "So far, no," they tell us. We'll keep in touch.
The IDF bulldozers are working. Here, they are gathering asphalt shavings, which they'll use to "occupy" some area. There, next to the road to Negohot they are preparing a new firing range. The path to the outpost on top of the hill above us is still muddy. The time's not yet ripe to pave it. Only vehicles with front wheel drive can make the ascent. The soldiers are freezing but politely answer our questions.
Hebron
Dozing. We're pleased to see that the posters that a settler pasted up a week week ago along the road leading down from Tel Romeida and along Shuheda Street have been removed. Has someone decided to make things here a little more orderly? Now no-one will know of the historical right that settlers claim for this place and of the injustice that Israeli laws have perpetrated on them. Would that it were so? Until the next time.
We decided to go and buy the excellent pita bread, which has no parallel elsewhere. One has to cross H2, The Pharmacy checkpoint, to walk 50 meters to the bakery. There have been occasions when soldiers understood that we were not endangering "peace" in the area and allowed us to pass. Not today. "It's dangerous," they said, "and if anything happens to you we would be held responsible." Nevertheless they call their superiors to ask permission to let us through. A female soldier's voice can be heard: "[Machsom]Watch women? Give them a kick in the ass and get them out'a here," she shouts. The soldier, who is more embarrassed than we are when he realises we have heard what she said, mutters something about the mood she's in this morning and goes. We do too. The "righteous" soon have their work done by others. Local people returning from the bakery willingly sell us the pitas they had bought and go back to buy more for themselves.
There are no delays at the checkpoints; nothing special happened. We can leave town. Terhe's also very little IDF presence along the road in the direction of Shayuch. We headed for home on route 356. We saw nothing new there either.
How wonderful!""