On October 1, 2012, the Israeli Occupation Authorities blocked two agricultural roads on the sides of bypass ‘317’ to the east of Yatta town. Eyewitnesses stated that two Israeli Army vehicles and a dozer used rocks and earth mounds to block the road justifying that by ‘security reasons’.
The roads, located in Ma’in area to the east of Yatta, have been closed since the beginning of August which has been obstructing the movement of the residents of the villages of Qawawees, Shi’b al Butum, among others. On October 1, the Israeli Occupation Army blocked the roads permanently.
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Israeli dozers blocking the roads) Operation Dove) | |
According to LRC field staff, the Israeli Occupation Authorities blocked 15 roads in Hebron in 2012 while only one blockage was removed.
Israeli road blocks and checkpoints are a source of continuous suffering for the Palestinians; checkpoints have detached Palestinian communities and resulted in the losses of many lives of Palestinians who were forced to wait on their way to hospitals and emergency rooms. Also, it caused the loss of thousands of dunums of agricultural lands due to the Israeli restrictions. Checkpoints are a source of suffering for all Palestinians, young or old, males or females…
Field reports revealed that closures intensify in the southern parts of Hebron, the following table shows the recently-added checkpoints:
No. | Location | Type | Month | remarks |
1 | Tal Rmeida | Cement blocks | January | Blocking the entrances of Abu Haikal homes |
2 | Tal Rmeida | Earth mound | January | 50 meters away from checkpoint ‘1’ |
3 | Gwain – As Samu’ | Rocks | January | |
4 | Al Baraka – Yatta | Earth mounds and rocks | February | |
5 | Wadi Jheish – Yatta | Earth mounds | February | Tightening closure |
6 | Beit Ummar | Rocks | May | |
7 | Beit Ummar | Rocks and cement blocks | May | |
8 | Wadi Hora | Earth mounds and rocks | May | Blocked after the demolition of a cistern |
9 | Beit Awwa | Expansion of a checkpoint | May | Expansion of the checkpoint by adding a number of caravans |
10 | Um Lasfa and Ad Deirat | Destroying an unpaved road | July | The road is 1-km-long |
11 | At Tawani – yatta | Cement blocks | August | Placement of cement blocks with a awarning ‘no trespassing, shooting ground’ |
12 | Ma’in – Yatta | Earth mounds and rocks | August | An agricultural road connecting Yatta with the eastern villages |
Closures in 2012 – Hebron:
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Closure of Gwain entrance | Destroying the road connecting Um Lasfa and Ad Deirat |
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Blocking the road leading to Abu Haikal residences | Expansion of a military checkpoint in Beit Awwa |
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Road block in Beit Ummar | Road block near the village market – Beit Ummar |
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A blocked agricultural road in Ma’in – Yatta | Cement blocks placed in At Tawani |
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The only road that has been reopened this year, the entrance of Beit Einun
