Zanuta - a settler throws sheep carcasses at the entrance to the village

Place:

Sansana (Meitar Crossing)

South Hebron Hills

Observers:

Ariela and Muhammad; Translator: Natanya

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Jul-24-2023

Morning

Zanuta - with Fais, the head of the village council

Photo:

Muhammad D

בדרך חזרה התחילו את החריש והמראה כל כך יפה שלא התאפקתי וצרפתי תמונה

On the way back the ploughing season began, it was very beautiful

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

We went to Zanuta to meet Fares, who is Abu Safi's son-in-law. We brought him an oxygen device that Muhammad had obtained for him as he suffers from a severe heart disease. We also left loaded with toys that Snait had given us.

At the Meitar checkpoint, the parking lot was full. Life goes on "as usual". Before the checkpoint to Zanuta a military vehicle was standing on the side of the road and the soldiers had arrested a Palestinian, who was apparently trying to pass through the fence. On our way to Zanuta on Route 60, we stopped to photograph a road blocked by the army between Zanuta and Dahariya.

While we were standing there, we met Fais, the head of the Zanota Council, who said that this road, which is about three kilometres long, has existed for about 100 years and now, to get to Dahariya, they have to go 22 kilometres. Just a few stones and a D-9, and how this has changed their lives.

Fais said that the settlers had taken over the entire hill. Palestinians sowed in the wadis but now the settlers move their herds onto the sown plots. Not everyone is able to withstand the pressures and some of them leave their lands. We continued to Fares to give him the oxygen ventilator for Abu Safi. A man with a captivating smile. I don't understand how he can still smile. We were honoured with wonderful sabras that grow in his yard and I thought to whom the "sabra” symbol is more appropriate, to us or the Palestinians. We unloaded the toys from the car that Snait had sent. Among the toys were some boats and I thought to myself that these children had never seen boats, what would they do with them? It turns out that the boats were the things that made them the happiest and they immediately filled a tub with water to sail the boats. Fares said that the settler, Yisrael Kaplan, from the Mikneh-Yehuda farm, continues to throw the carcasses of his sheep, at the entrance to Zanuta. Who can I contact? This can cause a very serious health problem.

On the way back, Palestinians had started the ploughing and the sight was so beautiful that I couldn't resist and took a picture.

Location Description

Yata / Southern Hebron hills

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Yatta is a city located in the South Hebron Hills region. It is located in the border zone between the fertile area of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants. The surrounding villages are called Masafar 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, a number of 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 the withholding of 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. Road blocks 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

May-2-2024

Raya Yeor

Al-Fawwar - crossing the fields

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Meitar

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Sansana (Meitar Crossing)

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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 (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