Dura-Al Fawwar Junction, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
On the road to the Meitar checkpoint, there were 2 jeeps of Border Police stopping private buses to check if the passengers included Palestinians who had illegally entered Israel to find work. Lately, these checks are occurring daily until 12:00. The road to Deir Razih was blocked by an army jeep and Border Police were stopping cars and giving tickets near the Qilqis junction.
The Dura junction is open today.
We drove to the DCO. Several Palestinians were entering the area in order to receive final permission to enter Israel. They first must receive permission from their bosses at work. The second step is to go to the DCO. We spoke to Yusuf at the entry gate He told us that he sometimes receives permission on the same day. At other times, he must return several times before permission is granted. If permission is denied, they are told that the denial came from the police or the GSS. It is then up to them to find out the reason for the denial. If possible, they apply again. We asked Yusuf about the atmosphere in Hebron, he said it was calm.
As usual, there are very few pedestrians on the streets of Hebron. A small group of young people were listening attentively to a guide from Breaking the Silence near the entrance to Cave of the Patriarchs. A larger group of young people were following a settler guide down Shudada St.
Back on Route 60, there was a police car blocking the road leading up to the Kiryat Arba industrial area which wasn’t there when we went up the road earlier. Palestinian licenses were being checked and tickets issued. We passed soldiers near the Fawwar junction. Four soldiers on the left side of the road stood near a Palestinian vegetable field after having driven the farmers from the field. Three soldiers were on the right side of the road overlooking the spring on the other side of the road.
As we approached the Meitar checkpoint, there were 2 buses waiting for families returning from their weekly visits to their incarcerated family members.