Hebron, Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Tarqumiya, Tue 9.9.08, Morning

translating - Revital S.
07:00-12:00 (by Palestinian time it's an hour earlier)

Sansana-Meitar Crossing
At ten past seven there are no workers waiting. Their clock is an hour earlier, so some may yet arrive. The first bus on its way to visit imprisoned kin is being inspected. The second has not yet arrived. In short - would that it were always like this.

Highway 60
Durah Al Fawar, Sheep Junction, Shuyuch- Shair - All as usual - the pillboxes are manned and there's barely any traffic. There are no military vehicles, only on our way back, by the water hole a military jeep is stationed overlooking the highway, probably due to yesterday's stone throwing. An old man is filling bottles with water and will soon pack them on the white donkey waiting patiently the while. A soldier is eating in the jeep and I remind him it's the Ramadan fast. The infamous Anat Cohen of Hebron happens along, the one that always swears at us. She stops to let the soldiers know what kind of traitors we are and that we pee into the water hole so the Palestinians would have something to drink. I can't be bothered citing the rest of the heroin's delivery. In the meantime a father and son come to fill up water. They request the soldiers' permission. So long as we're standing there the soldiers forbid them to do so, so we leave (see attached photo).

Highway 35
At the Humanitarian Checkpoint we run across a Japanese TV team producing a feature on the Palestinian economy and Japanese businessmen. They interview us at length and we go together to the grocery at Tarqumiya to meet a group of GSS prohibited that Sylvia and the team are trying to help. We continue with them to the Tarqumiya Checkpoint to try to help them with some problems they'd encountered, but they are not granted permission to film there. We introduce them to Zion and Roni who run the checkpoint and leave. The lorry drivers testify there is no problem crossing here and the transits' morning crossing has also been worked out.
On highway 35 itself one of the roadblocks on the way into Hebron has been removed and there is now a manned checkpoint that allows lorries and cars through without queuing. The drivers say this roadblock is open from six AM and shuts at about one-two PM. Work is in progress to remove another roadblock. We'll see what's been done next week.

Hebron
The business of occupation is running its usual course, no problem at the Pharmacy, Tarpat and the Cave of the Patriarchs Checkpoints.
Giborei Hebron (Heroes of Hebron) Quarter, in the agricultural plot between Kiryat Arbah and Hebron, is deserted after the summer holidays.
In Tel Rumeida it's horrible (see attached photo below). A soldier is inspecting the belongings of a youngster in a wheelchair and his escort. The soldiers of the State of Israel are defending themselves against six and seven year olds, probably in response to warnings that children this age are absolute terrorists. A first year's scissors is a deadly weapon. They'd learnt all this through intimate association with the Jewish settlers and from a visit to the Jewish Quarter Museum. All the Arabs are murderers, do not forget 1929!
The Disputed House
Symbiotic relations between the border police soldiers and the settlers' kids that they're babysitting (see attached photo), I haven't the stamina to describe it.