Arbitrariness, e.g. an arbitrary decision

The Palestinian Jordan Valley

The heat in the Valley reaches 36 degrees centigrade.

Brutality of military maneuvers – again, 200 families Palestinian are evacuated from their homes for 24 hours.

Fires are started by the army to prevent Palestinians from grazing their flocks.

Maale Efrayim Checkpoint

Unmanned in the morning, manned in the afternoon.

Passengers remain in the cars as they cross in both directions. This is a significant relief in the horrendous heat that has descended on the Jordan Valley these days. But the cars are inspected, one by one, even when Nablus-bound, driving into Palestinian-controlled areas.

Forced evacuation – the suffering inflicted upon hundreds of humans as a result of the Israeli army’s war games is indescribable, and intended apparently to make them leave. About 200 families received evacuation orders from today at 6 p.m. until tomorrow at 4 p.m. All the areas near the road leading to Tyassir and the Checkpoint – Al Maleh, part of En Al Hilwa, and the area east of Alon Road (no. 578), Samara, as well as Ras Al Ahmar – west of the Alon Road, parallel to Bekaot.

These days are sizzling hot.  The Palestinians say “Al diniya nar” – The world is on fire. The sun bakes the earth and one can hardly breathe. And out of all possible days, now is the time they choose to expel people – women, the elderly, sick people, and children, along with their livestock – from their homes, to sit without any shelter in the sun for a whole night and a day. This isn't the first time – in recent months, inhabitants of Al Maleh and Ras al Ahmar have been evacuated every two weeks. But this time, 

because of the extreme heat, is particularly brutal. The Palestinians watch many of their sheep to die.

It is hard to view this misery and the fear of what awaits them in these 24 hours. They clasp their hands and repeatedly ask, “Shu binsawi?” What are we to do? Some hours before the evacuation, we sit wi

th the elderly couple who in January, and before that in December, lost their home to the army’s demolition action – and we have no words for them.

I have contacted the OCHA office and was told they know and have tried to persuade the army to let

the people stay, but in vain. They will bring the people water!

The novelty now is that Palestinians east of the road, in Samara, were also evacuated. The army told them it intended to fire from there towards the western side of the Alon Road. And we ask – if it’s dangerous to the point that people have to be evacuated from their homes, will the road be closed off too, the road that serves mainly Jewish settlers? Or do Jews have some kind of intrinsic special protection?

The single consolation is that the army has created an opening in the dirt dyke that separates the Jordan Valley from the hilly West Bank area, in order to deploy tanks and troops westwards from the Alon Road, and contact between the inhabitants of Hadidiya, Humsa and Makhoul and their life-center in the West Bank is now totally open.

North of the Jewish settlement Ro’i we saw an charred area of a few hundred square meters, around the army base “Sea’ra”. On our way back we witnessed the mountain southeast of Hamra Checkpoint in flames – a huge, thickly smoking fire (we were told it has been on fire for the past three days). Around the Jewish settlement of Mekhora we also saw hundreds of square meters up in flames, up to the periphery of the settlement and its fruit tree groves, as far as the eye can see. All is black, the color of the arsonists’ soul. Evidently these are controlled fires where the safety of the settlements and army camps are well looked after. The army is burning all of these areas in order to prevent Palestinians from letting their flocks graze. As if stealing all their water and denying them the possibility of tilling their fields were not enough. As if it were not enough to deny them access to most of their lands. Herds of sheep and goats are these farmers’ last resort, but the grazing area is meager and as the summer desiccates it, the Palestinians wander on and on in search of a bit of greenery. But the occupier will not grant them even this, and burns the sparse vegetation in order to prevent even this minimal source of existence. (see photos).

Translator: Charles K.

On the way to prayers – only in Israel!

At 08:30 we arrived at the checkpoint. In the “cages” were old men and women on their way to Friday prayer at Al-Aksa. Many lean on canes, standing on line with difficulty. One of the women was on the verge of collapse; only with the help of those standing in front and behind her was she able to go through. Although the line isn’t long, and the crossing goes relatively quickly – where else in the world do people on their way to prayer pass through cages like cows to milking?

When we left at 10:00 the area was empty, and not even dirty – wonder of wonders.

Nothing to report – because the occupation is the occupation, and until it stops denying Palestinians their civil rights we’ll continue to report the dehumanization at the checkpoints which is an inherent component of rule over another people.

End the occupation!!

Naomi Gal translatio

Etzion DCL, 14:10 PM: out of the DCL surges an old man looking puzzled. He says that he received an entry permit to Jerusalem to undergo surgery at St John Hospital and a permit for one of his two sons to accompany him, but it turned out that this son could not accompany him, so he asked for a permit for the other son. They refused. Without even explaining why. Shlomit spoke with officer R. who is always willing to help. The man was ushered in again and after a short while came out satisfied.  The son got a permit.

Young Christians asked for entry permits at Easter and did not get them. We inquired and were told that a representative of the church must call and ask for their permits. They called the representative, he spoke with a person at the DCL and the permits were granted.

An older man addressed us complaining that his equipment for building roads was confiscated. He worked on building a road funded by international donors given to one of the municipalities. For three weeks he has been trying to get the equipment back, to no avail. His lawyer’s appeals didn’t help either.

Palestinians we met told that this past week a thousand olive trees belonging to residents of a village near Gush Etzion were destroyed.

__._, _.___

Naomi Gal translatio

Etzion DCL, 14:10 PM: out of the DCL surges an old man looking puzzled. He says that he received an entry permit to Jerusalem to undergo surgery at St John Hospital and a permit for one of his two sons to accompany him, but it turned out that this son could not accompany him, so he asked for a permit for the other son. They refused. Without even explaining why. Shlomit spoke with officer R. who is always willing to help. The man was ushered in again and after a short while came out satisfied.  The son got a permit.

Young Christians asked for entry permits at Easter and did not get them. We inquired and were told that a representative of the church must call and ask for their permits. They called the representative, he spoke with a person at the DCL and the permits were granted.

An older man addressed us complaining that his equipment for building roads was confiscated. He worked on building a road funded by international donors given to one of the municipalities. For three weeks he has been trying to get the equipment back, to no avail. His lawyer’s appeals didn’t help either.

Palestinians we met told that this past week a thousand olive trees belonging to residents of a village near Gush Etzion were destroyed.

__._, _.___

13:40  Habla gate.  The children’s bus comes from Habla to the exit, three girls get off and are taken to the scanner for inspection, the bus awaits them outside.  When they came out I asked them why they in particular were taken to be inspected.  The answer:  they’re older and have ID cards.

Two Palestinians waited under the canopy near the gate.  When they saw us they began complaining that they’ve been waiting half an hour and the worker they hired to pick lemons isn’t being allowed through.  The soldier told him that “you can’t go through because of the holiday.”  I telephoned ‘Adel who didn’t understand what holiday she was talking about.  He promised to take care of it.  Meanwhile the two men got tired of waiting; they said they wanted to return home before the gate closed and they’d have to wait until evening.  I told them that it was being taken care of; they said they’d wait on the other side with their worker.  Meanwhile Tedesa telephoned me (after ‘Adel spoke to him); he said he’d spoken to the soldier in charge who told him that nothing like that had happened.  Meanwhile I see the three of them approaching the gate and told Tedesa that she’d just released him.

14:10  The Eliyahu crossing was filled with military vehicles; something must have happened, but they wouldn’t answer my questions.  We continued; two Hummers were parked opposite the entrance to Ma’aleh Shomron.  There were also soldiers at the entrance to Qedumim, and two jeeps.  Well, the lords have to be protected, no?

Jit junction.  A new military position on the north side behind the railing is manned.

Huwwara is empty.

Za’tara.  Manned, inspections underway with dogs.

16:10  A group of soldiers stood at the Hars traffic light on the north side behind the railing.  Five vehicles were detained for inspection.

16:20  Azzun Atma.  No laborers crossing.  We drove to the parking lot opposite Oranit where the Palestinian laborers get out of their transportation.  Three laborers were there.  They told us they were from Aqraba, planning to walk to the checkpoint and get a taxi from there because there are no taxis to their villages from where they’re let off.  It’s so disheartening…

Translator: Charles K.

“They don’t honor the permits they’ve issued” because “today they’re screening.”

Maybe because of last week’s uproar on the Temple Mount, maybe because of the heat wave, maybe because that’s just how things work here, today they decided upstairs to change the rules. Except they didn’t bother to notify in advance the people subject to those rules. Today, Friday, the day for worship, for errands, an order came down from on high (high up where, exactly?) that only women, and men older than 60, will be permitted through for prayers. Others, with standing permits (merchant’s crossing permit), aren’t allowed through. Those who’d made appointments ahead of time, who gathered all the required permits, who’d received a special permit for today (for a consular or a hospital appointment) aren’t allowed through.

At 09:00 the area beyond the initial revolving gates is full of Israeli police and DCO representatives of various ranks, but the latter keep quiet (except for one polite young man) and leave things to the police (?), in particular to an officer who refuses to speak to us and behaves superciliously – if not rudely - to everyone. Only one lane operating.

The police officer stands on the other side of the bars and screens those waiting. “Irja la’aura” [go back]!” he tells everyone who doesn’t meet this morning’s criteria. And there’s no appeal. Those turned back push through the ones waiting between the bars. There’s no humanitarian lane. The only crossing is via the screening lane - for old men and women, the halt and the lame.

A man with a permit, who’s employed as a painter and was supposed to finish a job for an elderly couple (who are living in the midst of the mess and are angry that the painter isn’t coming to complete the job as promised, and they can’t put everything back in place by themselves, and it’s Friday…) tried to go back (and perhaps even sneak in) through the congested line. His permit was confiscated. He’ll be able to get it back at the DCO, probably after a complaint is filed against him and he’s fined…

A polite DCO representative explains that many eyes are on the checkpoint today, that the orders from above can’t be altered. He hopes that people will be allowed to enter after 12:00 (after the consulates close, after losing a day of work).

People at the checkpoint are very angry. Some of the stories: about cement costing thousands of shekels scheduled to be poured today, and won’t be; about the Jewish owner of a flower shop waiting at the store for his worker, not able to understand why his colleague is being detained, particularly on Friday, when he’s even more urgently needed; about a university teacher from Italy, married to a Palestinian, who spent weeks assembling all the required permits to go to the consulate with her family (her son is leaving to study in Italy), and she’s irate, weeping, humiliated. “She’s not yet used to such treatment,” says her husband. She’s lived here for five years and still hasn’t come to terms with the arbitrariness and helplessness that is the lot of her new compatriots.

Dozens of people crowd at the fence, running back and forth, stretching hands with documents toward every approaching officer, pleading for understanding, for permission. “You want us to become violent,” says one man, a merchant who’s been refused to cross on business, “but we won’t succumb to temptation. And eventually you’ll collapse.”

7.30 – 10.30 a.m.
ONE PERSON WAS DENIED ENTRY UNTIL THE YEAR 2101  !!

Among the ”routine”  cases of men trying to appeal  their bans on entry , bans placed either by  the police or by Security  - each “routine case” implying a family breadwinner being unable to provide for his family, sometimes for years, or a young unemployed man getting more and more bitter – we met outside the DCO a particularly outrageous  instance.  A young man came out of the office with a form stating that he was refused entry to Israel until 2101 Could this be so? Or is it a mistake?

CHANGES IN THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR PAYING TRAFFIC FINES
We were informed that the rules have once again been changed and now fines incurred in the West Bank cannot be paid in Israel  (so the custom  we had of Chaya’s  paying fines  at a Jerusalem post office on behalf of Palestinians who were banned from entering  would have to stop).  The  authorities told us that Palestinians should pay at Palestinian banks – but we know that many  Palestinian banks refuse to accept these payments ( perhaps because it is collaborating with the Israeli occupation?), or they can pay at post offices in settlements.  But here too, many Palestinians are not allowed entry.  In the past, they often had to entrust money to some stranger  to pay for them, only to find that their money had vanished.
Not only does this restriction cause inconvenience but, as we know, any delay in paying a fine leads to an increase in the fine, so this is another way of adding to the financial burden of the locals (and to the coffers of the Occupation?).
Recently, we reported the case of a man who was accused, a few months ago, of stealing a television set.  (The whole family was woken up in the middle of the night, the house searched, and the set confiscated.) He was cleared of the accusation in court but had paid a 2,500 shekel  deposit (bail?).  Since then  he has been sent back and forth between Ofer and Hebron trying to get his money back.  Now it transpires that the money is in the Jerusalem Court and it is only a lawyer who can redeem it for him.  MW has arranged this but there go 800 of his 2,500 shekels!

POLICE POCKETING MONEY?   Last week I did not manage to write a report, but this is worth noting.  A young man told us that he and a friend had each paid 30 shekels to a police man at the police station of Kiryat Arba, in order to get a Teudat Yosher (a printout of  one’s police record).  This, as we know, is supposed to be free of charge so presumably the policeman was trying to line his pocket.
[ Not part of this report] Also, last Tuesday afternoon, people arriving for magnetic cards at Etzion DCL found there were no soldiers and we could get no answer on the phone because, according to the soldier at the window of the waiting-room, the soldiers were away on a tiyul. (He himself had only come on duty in the afternoon, so did not know what conditions were in the morning.)
     

Translation: Yael Bassis-Student

Bethlehem checkpoint 9:15 –10:45

Many people go through, without the need to wait on the Jerusalem side. No one was denied passage during our shift. There was a question regarding two women, who presented a permit that in the female soldier's opinion at the booth had expired. She called the officer who inspected the forms, listened, and finally allowed them to go through.

Part of the people are Christians who take advantage of the final days of their permits received for Christmas and the New year. Some have permits valid through Jan.18^th. and others until Jan.21^st. It is unclear whether the difference in the dates have to do with their church affiliation or simply arbitrariness of the occupation.

When we left we saw the iron gate inside the wall open. A Palestinian told us earlier that Abu-Mazen was due to visit Bethlehem. We did not see Abu-Maze but rather a long convoy escorted by soldiers riding on horses hoisting Israeli  flags and inside the cars there were clerics who seemed to have escorted a dignitary maybe of the Armenian church.