South Hebron Hills

I drove again on Friday to Kibbutz Harel to collect the kindergarten equipment Ruti Ristik offered.  I filled a Ford commercial vehicle with goodies.

I reach the Meitar checkpoint Sunday at 05:51.  It’s very crowded, unusual for this hour.

Here’s what the Internationals tell us:  the 12 detainees – they say there were 13 – about whom we reported last week were held, cuffed, until 11:00.  Then all but one was released.

They also told us that a tractor carrying a water tank had been confiscated in one of the villages.

5,400 people had crossed by 06:42, when we left, and traffic was still heavy.

Protective concrete barriers have been erected at bus stops along the road.  The hitchhikers aren’t standing behind them.

Below the NG 240 emplacement is an entrance to one of the Palestinian villages.  A military jeep with four soldiers is parked there as a flying checkpoint.

At 07:12 we arrived at the kindergarten in Zif.  Two children were already on the seesaw and they were happy to help us unload the vehicle whose load included kindergarten chairs and mattresses.

We were told the children refuse to participate in the regular activities and want only to play with the games we brought.

On our way back we saw the southern entrance to Hebron was, in fact, open but a military vehicle stood beside it; there was at least one female soldier in the group.

08:00  Al Fawwar junction.  No military presence.  Two famers had erected stands just before the junction to sell vegetables fresh from the field.

08:39  The Meitar checkpoint is empty.  We can see on the hills people in Israel illegally.