Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Sun 30.3.08, Morning

06:30 – 10:30

Sansana-Meitar CP
On our arrival at 06:40 workers passed quickly. There was no line, not from outside and not in the “sleeve”. The workers expressed their satisfaction, and said that the CP opened in time. However, on our return around 10 o’clock, families went through a long inspection process, on their long way to Nafcha prison. They came from Hebron at 07.30 and when we left at 10:15 still the inspection went on. There were five buses and Marwan from the Red Cross said that it was especially hard. It was nice weather, and some children plucked poppy flowers on the side of the parking lot. A girl smilingly, shyly, gave us some and ran off, sharing with us, good willing women, a sense of the jubilation she felt for visiting that day her father or perhaps a brother.

Personal Problems at the checkpoint
A worker from Dura who has been working in Israel since 1986 with a permit, was all of a sudden prevented from passing the CP. He has a valid magnetic card till 2010. The man approached us, frustrated that no one bothered to explain to him the reason for not letting him through. We were told by a security guard that he needs to refresh his geometric finger print at the DCO. He was grateful to us. (*)

An Israeli who returned from the PA with his children waited in his van for his wife to go through all the inspections. He asked us to intervene so as to let his wife return with him and his children without having to go through all the inspections. She is a palestinian and has a permanent permit to stay with her husband in Israel.

Route 60 - The road to Hebron
The dirt road to Bani Naim is still blocked for vehicular passage to its 20,000 inhabitants, in stark contrast to the further wide asphalt road to the settlement of Bnei Hever.

All the dirt mounds along the road 60 are kept and reinforced by concrete barriers that were removed half a year before, due to a verdict of the High Supreme Court.

Hebron
No detainees.We marked new graffito: “There are Arabs – There are mice”, when we went looking for the house (it is in the H1 area) that its inhabitants were thrown out of, after carrying out renovation works. Elena wondered whether the smearers had any notion as to the fore bearers of the slogan. 

The store owners near the Cave of Patriarchs CP complained of the loud noise that breaks through 4 loudspeakers outside the Gutnick center all day long. They complained to the police when there was one loudspeaker, so in retaliation another 3 appeared.