Dura-Al Fawwar Junction, Hakvasim (sheep) Junction, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
The Meitar checkpoint is jammed and many people, legal and illegal manage to circumvent it. Staffed checkpoints at Dura, Al Fuwwar, the sheep crossing and Beit Hagai.
We went to the Metsudat Yehuda checkpoint near the settlement of Beit Yatir and visited the compound of our friend Mahmoud Abu Qbeita. As reported here in the past, the
Abu Qbeita family are trapped in the seam zone between Israel and Area C. Any movement in and out of their compound requires passing the checkpoint and only registered persons can visit them, such as family members. On the face of it, things are going well in spite of the mobility restrictions: Mahmoud has married off two sons (out of 11 children) and has a grandchild, he is also building an extension to his house. In the past there were frequent problems with Beit Yatir, which sits right on top of the Abu Qbeita compound but Mahmoud says he has made a contact in the settlement and this helps to solve most disputes by diplomatic means. However, it soon transpires that all is not so wonderful: one of the guards at the checkpoint with all family members pass through daily, including the younger children, consistently harasses them and not only delays them but subjects them to detailed searches of their belongings, to the extent of poking his fingers into the rice sacks or the melons. Not only that: one of the daughters who is married and lives in the town of Yatta nearby. When her permit to enter Israel expired and she went to renew it in order to be able to visit her family she was told that she is “proscribed” and no reason given. Whereas Mahmoud formerly owned 300 head of sheep, his herd is now reduced to 100 because of the reduction in pasture in the area, whether because of building by the Israeli government, the setting aside of huge areas for firing zones and military training grounds. The cost of fodder for the sheep is very high and thus sheep raising is no longer sustainable. God is great! as Mahmoud says but the threat, real and feared of demolition and expulsion hangs over them.
Dura Al-Fawwar Junction
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Junction on Route 60: west - the town of El Dura, east - the Al Fawwar refugee camp. There is a manned pillbox at the junction. From time to time the army sets up flying checkpoints at the entrance to El Fawwar and Al Dura. Al-Fawwar is a large refugee camp (7,000 inhabitants in 2007) established in 1949 to accommodate Palestinian refugees from Be'er Sheva and Beit Jubrin and environs. There are many incidents of stone-throwing. In the vicinity of the pillbox there are excellent agricultural areas, Farmers set up stalls adjacent to the plots close to the road. In recent months the civil administration has set up dirt embankments thereby blocking access to the stalls, and making it impossible for the farmers to sell their vegetables. Updated April 2021, Michal T.
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Hakvasim (sheep) Junction
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One of the roadblocks (earthworks, rocks, concrete blocks or iron gates) that prevent transit of vehicles to Route 60 in the southern West Bank and block the southern entrance to Hebron. A manned pillbox supervises the place.
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Meitar checkpoint / Sansana
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Meitar Checkpoint / Sansana The checkpoint is located on the Green Line and serves as a border crossing between Israel and the West Bank. It is managed by the Border Crossing Authority of the Defense Ministry. It is comprised of sections for the transfer of goods as well as a vehicle checkpoint (intended for holders of blue identity cards, foreign nationals or diplomats and international organizations). Passing of Palestinians is prohibited, except for those with entry permits to Israel. Palestinians are permitted to cross on foot only. The crossing has a DCO / DCL / DCL / DCL (District Coordination Office), a customs unit, supervision, and a police unit. In the last year, a breach has been opened in the fence, not far from the crossing. This breach is known to all, including the army. There does not appear to be any interest in blocking it, probably as it permits needed Palestinian workers without the bureaucratic permits to get to work in Israel. Food stalls and a parking area economy have been created, but incidents of violent abuse by border police have also been recorded. Updated April 2022
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South Hebron Hills
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South Hebron Hills
South Hebron Hills is a large area in the West Bank's southern part.
Yatta is a major city in this area: right in the border zone between the fertile region of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants.
The surrounding villages are called Masafer Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.Since the beginning of the 1980s, many settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with withholding water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.
There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Roadblocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.
Updated April 2022
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