Hebron, Sansana (Meitar Crossing), South Hebron Hills
Since last night there has been a closure
on the West Bank. We came to the checkpoint of Meitar and except for trucks of sand which worked on the back to back formula we saw no other cars. The parking area is empty. Only the devoted cleaner is busy sweeping up the many plastic bags and this time more easily and no one bothering him.
There is little army presence on road 60 but soldiers guard the entrance to Dahariya and Hebron.
On the other hand there are many army vehicles both openly and hidden . They wait at the crossroads for Palestinian cars which do not stop where the side roads meet the main road and they give out reports.
The building at Sham'ah and Eshtamoa is progressing quickly. The number of new buildings is greater than the number of houses and caravans which are already there and no one stops them.
Hebron is quiet and preparing for Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut): flags everywhere and buses filled with soldiers who descend at the Cave of the Patriarchs. Maybe they are being given a briefing before the holiday??
There are few tourists coming to the Cave of the Patriarchs and one visit of Breaking the Silence.
In the neighborhood of Kapisha a tractor works on the road making holes which will probably form part of the new checkpoint. It is nearer to the entrance in the direction of Kiryat Arba. This leaves all the shops and garages including Azzam on the Palestinian side. The settlers will have to look for other cheap garages and these garages will lose their clientele.
We went up to Tel Rumeida. The hut which was under the turning to the Jewish neighborhood has been moved up. It is strengthened by a rolling checkpoint which shuts the ascent to the cemeteries. It is a heavy memorial to the incident with Elor Azariah. At our request the soldier opened the road so that we could go up to see the grave of Bnayah Sarel, one of the fallen of Zuk Eitan and a son of Hebron. So this way we could see the preparations for the Memorial day in the army area which was proclaimed after his fall in the cemetery of the victims of the pogrom in 1929. Two israeli flags fly high over the neighborhood. The cemetry is closed until the actual ceremony.
A little higher up, at the top of the hill, are the archaeological digs. The orchard of a Palestinian has been sacrificed in the interests of our search for our roots. The area if fenced but not closed. Each excavation was delineated by a metal fence, and it was clear that the mud-brick walls, the steps and the wall had long been coated, probably in order to preserve them better. There is no sign in the area and we have not been able to see any signs of the Jewishness of the place.
We went home quickly . The roads are empty and sad.