The Occupation

My Unit has come to a new phase, we have moved from training to deployment and are now deployed to the Judea area, south of Hebron. I at times may seem short on details, I am sorry but this is an open blog and not everything can be published to the world.

The first thing I want to note is the security fence running in our area. Some have smeared it as a wall, and while yes parts are walls they are the minority and by far. We have one kilometer of wall on over 40 kilometers of fence, and it is separating a very problematic village from a well used road, where in the past there have been shots fired at and stones throwhow bor
n at civilian cars. Today still they attempt at throwing rocks over the wall at civilian cars, but always fail. The fence is there because of Arab misbehavior, and terror, and no other reason.

Next I would like to note how the world has been pressuring Israel to cease building in Judea and Samaria. This pressure comes from the Arab claim it violates the Oslo accords which state neither side will try and change facts on the ground. The Arabs claim Jewish building does this. But then so does Arab building, and they do so and with gusto. I was told to learn a navigation for a foot patrol in a village, with a map 3 years old. I told my officer I will learn but the map and reality are not going to be connected. I was right, the village had been so changed in 3 years I could barely find my way from point to point.

Finally I want to discuss how boring this work can be. Most of the last week was spent on static roadblocks, in the cold. During the day I could go a half hour with not a car going by. On a six hour shift at night I could see only 5 cars, with 3 hours between cars. But these long periods of boredom are broken by moment of adrenaline and excitement. The precious hours of sleep broken by a wake up when two Arabs broke into a settlement. The mad sprint to ones vest, helmet in hand an vest still half open to the armored car, strapping everything in place on the way. Breathing a sigh of relief when while still on the way we are told they were caught and we are to stand down.