Hebron, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills

Meitar checkpoint – When we cross all the workers are going through and the parking lot is full.  Seven thousand crossed this morning – like on a Sunday, because of the holiday.  When we return they’re planning how the checkpoint will operate on Yom Kippur – it will be open for the benefit of the non-Jewish residents of the area.

We witnessed two incidents today.

The large village of Dir’at is located on Highway 356, on both sides of the road.  According to the still-valid Oslo Agreements the village is in Area C.  Today the Civil Administration issued two demolition orders covering 5-10 structures.  There’s no approved master plan for the area, nor any planning whatsoever…  The regime’s obligation to the residents is expressed only through demolition orders.

In Hebron we saw international peace activists, four female settlers, Palestinians with cameras and TIPH police gathered beside the large parking lot at the Cave of the Patriarchs.

Here’s what happened:

Soldiers came to the home of the Abu Rajeb Tamimi family, who live next to Beit Hamachpelah, and told them that on September 22, Yom Kippur eve, they intend to take over the family’s shop and turn it into a command center during Yom Kippur and Succot.  The family signed a form indicating its objection and the army threatened the family that if it complains to the police their entry permits to Israel will be confiscated.

This morning wives of settlers entered the shop through an adjoining gate that was open (right next to the Al Fahia girls’ school, for those familiar with the area).  When family members arrived the son and mother were attacked.

The female settlers stayed for a while and continued photographing.  We took the youth who’d been attacked and his mother to file a complaint with the police.  We took them because if one goes to the Giv’at Ha’avot police station through the Jewish side complaints are dealt with much, much faster.

When we returned home we received a phone call telling us they’d finished submitting the complaint, the police took the mother and son back home and received documentation for the complaint.

We ourselves didn’t witness the attack.  Those who had seen it said that Anat Cohen was one of the women involved.

On our way home we saw sea squills and bought figs and Hebron grapes (which don’t sweeten the occupation).