Hebron, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills

A cold, sunny day…traces of the storm everywhere. The Meitar crossing is filled with puddles.  The parking lot is completely full and four buses with relatives of prisoners park there.  When we go through at 9 AM and return at noon the crossing is easy.

300 broken and cut down olive trees on both sides of Highway 317 near Susya.  In the middle of Friday’s storm these criminals found time to do that.  The olive groves aren’t far from Mitzpeh Ya’ir, or from Mitzpeh Aviga’il, or from Carmel, or from Ma’on, or from Susiya…it’s almost certain they won’t discover who’s responsible.

We ran into representatives of the Palestinian Authority Department of Agriculture who came to evaluate the damage.

Photo: The army stationed below Carmel didn’t protect the Palestinians.

Photo:  Snow in Hebron.

Photo:  Graffiti on the steps of the Palestinian house at the junction of the Worshippers Route [“Kahana was right”]

At the house we met the woman of the house – a grandmother and two young mothers and seven lovely children.  A military troop carrier is parked next to the house.  It’s bringing lunch to soldiers stationed on the roof.

Approximately once every six months the army also enters the house, takes it over and the family crowds into one room.  That happens during the holidays.  The oldest girl, who wasn’t there now, once was beaten by the soldiers and now all the children flee when they see them.  Sometimes they fire tear gas at the children gathered near the boys’ school and it wafts straight into the house.  We sat there for about half an hour and heard the stories, and there’s little we can do.

Except empathize.

The whole occupation in five photos.