Jit Junction

06:50  Eliyahu gate

An army vehicle on the hill before the gate observes the road.

We saw Palestinians who’d already gone through the gate waiting for their rides.  At least thirty Palestinians are still waiting at the gate to come through.

A military vehicle was waiting by the roadside at Nebi Elias.

07:00  We drove to 'Azzun via Izbat Tabib.  We didn’t see any changes along the internal road where the army plans to erect a fence.  Children wait for transportation to school.

'Azzun is quiet and still slumbering.

07:10  Jayyus agricultural gate

At least four tractors carrying laborers go through quickly.

Two tractors with young olive saplings to be planted:  the female MP greets all the laborers with a “Good morning.”  She says she knows all those who go through here.

07:15  The soldiers begin closing the gate, but wait for a Palestinian riding up quickly on a donkey and let him through.

07:25  Falamya agricultural gate

Very few people are crossing.  But, since this is now the main road to Tulkarm, traffic is very heavy in both directions.

07:50  We leave

A poster at the entrance to Jayyus that we hadn’t noticed when we passed earlier refers to the Nakba, and is signed by the Jayyus municipality.  We saw no signs of the Nakba and asked Palestinians whether anything happened yesterday.  They said no. 

At the entrance to 'Azzun we saw signs that tires had been burned.

We saw a number of military vehicles by the roadside, watching the road.

The “Shvut Ami” hill is deserted.

08:10  Jit junction.  Soldiers at the Sara/Nablus side of the junction.  Taxis slow down, the soldiers look inside and wave a greeting.  We saw no cars stopped.

We turned right toward Jerusalem.  A soldier stopped us, looked inside and sent us on our way.

08:15  Two soldiers stand at the entrance to Yitzhar, apparently guarding the hitchhiking station.

A few soldiers and a military vehicle at the Yitzhar junction, but traffic flows freely.

08:25  Huwwara checkpoint

There is much traffic in both directions:  trucks, taxis and cars.  There are no soldiers.

The only soldiers are in the guard tower.  They come down to see who we are, and ask why we’ve come here.  We explain, and when we mention that we want to see “whether they’re closing the entrance to Nablus” one of them says, totally serious: Why should we block the entrance to Nablus?!?  Really, why…  And this entire conversation took place in the shadow of the ruins of the terrifying checkpoint.

We stop for baklava.  The guys are happy to see us, ask “Where’s Nadim?”

08:50  A military vehicle opposite the entrance to Beita.

More soldiers are looking into cars at the Tapuach junction, but not stopping them.

We continue homeward.

When we left today, we weren’t sure where we’d go and what we’d see the day after Nakba Day. 

We may have seen a few more soldiers by the roadside, but there were no other outward signs of tension.

Huwwara, for example, seemed cleaner and more spruced-up, with more shops and more new cars. 

Translation: Hanna K.

At the end to the report you'll find a good reason why one has to continue with the regular  shifts.

1350 Habla CP – Is open. There are soldiers at the CP. We saw the passage, after checking, of three of the village residents who left the enclave, a donkey with a loaded cart enters with its owner the village at the enclave.

Only today we notice the structure which is almost joined to the barrier,  on which there is a signpost in English on which is written that  donors from the catholic church had enabled the building of a well for the villagers' use.

13:55 Eliyahu Passage -   at the exit from Israel a truck is delayed at the police barrier.  On the other side there is a queue of vehicles wishing to leave for Israel.

14:00 Izbit Tabib – Road No. 55, after Nebi Elias and before Azoun, at a spot that doesn't appear on the Hebrew map,there is a turning to the right. Several villagers and people from Azoung wait for a meeting. Machsom Watch representatives have arrived.

We continued on our regular shift.

We drove from there on the road between Izbit Tabib and Azoun which is an internal road, parallel to road No. 55.

a  photograph will be sent, on which one can see two roads, the olive grove area between them  and the place where preparation work has begun  for the erection of  a fence, which will cause the olive trees to be outside the boundaries of the village.

14:40 Near the entrance to Kedumim a commandcar is parked perpendicular to the road – an observation post on the those passing on the road.

14:45 Jit Junction – we saw no soldiers

14:55 Burin/Yitzhar Junction on Road no. 60 – the CP is not operative

15:00 Huwwara CP -  there are no soldiers at the barrier. Large inscriptions are attached to the CP fence: " The law regarding the tomb of Joseph is the same as that  regarding the Hebron Cave of Machpela" – such inscriptions are attached without disturbance at the Za'tara CP aswell.

15:-05 Beit Furik CP – there are no soldiers at the barrier (the barrier at the entrance to the village which was described in this morning's report has been removed(

At the village of Awarta we meet one of the three brothers who have been arrested and released. He says that there are still 37 villagers detained.

A military jeep atthe village of Huwwara slows down the movement of the vehicles behind it.

15:25 Za'tara/Tapuah CP – in front of the CP there are many vehicles coming from Nablus and Ramallah.

We see 5 private vehicles detained at the CP where there are two border policemen. One of them plays with the cudgel he holds, in addition to the weapons he is carrying.

All the detained vehicles are checked with extreme strictness.

A private vehicle was detained when we arrived, and was released. While we were present at the CP other vehicles were detained and released.

We went to find out details about those who were still detained. It transpired that to some of the passengers their papers had been returned, and they are already waiting for two hours for return of  the papers of one passenger.

In another vehicle there was a driver who has been waiting for over an hour for his papers. A vehicle of the traffic police (!) arrives. The detainees who have no papers are summoned to the policemen and after some time the papers are returned to the two Palestinians who, as described above, had been detained. The policemen told the Machsom Watch member that they had been called to the CP about ten minutes earlier in order to check the number of the vehicle belonging to the persons without papers (one of which was just a passenger) for some clarification regarding the number of the vehicle: one border policeman told her that he had waited for the police vehicle to come and authorize him to return the ID cards of those persons. He said that he had summoned the police two hours before.

In any case, it seems that there is still need for us to document on the spot and on time.

Hanna K. translator

Closure owing to the Passover feast.

On the radio it was announced that many guests had arrived to stay overnight at the Itamar settlement and that today many Passover celebrations (the blessing of the Kohanim) with many participants, take place in Hebron and in Alon Moreh too.

AT the entrance to Itamar we noticed that they had created a new settlement.

There was much traffic of military vehicles.

13:50 Eliyahu Passage – a police CP forces us to execute a slalom at the passage.

14:10 Jit Junction – we didn't see any army. When driving up to the Gilad ranch, on the right, a delineation for lightening posts along the road is being prepared.

Settlers, probably from Yitzhar, on a tractor, are travelling on the mountainside, near Road No. 60 and the Burin junction.

14:20 Huwwara CP – two soldiers walk leisurely to the barrier, where a truck is parked. We didn't see any soldiers in the checking posts.

A group of soldiers rests near the trees of DCO Huwwara, near the Madison route.

Near the entrance to the Itamar settlement there are private cars parked. Beyond the road, in the northerly direction there is a tent and sheds of the settlers; they walk around the area – men women and children.

14:30 Beit Furik CP -  We didn't see any soldiers.

We passed through Awarta – we were told that some of those who were taken for questioning had not yet returned.

15:15 Za'tara/Tapuach CP – there is a load of vehicles before the barrier. At the barrier there are military policemen who sit on a rock and talk. The Palestinians in the vehicles do not know whether to drive on or to stop.

Summary
The media this week are full of “Passover posts,” as if there were anything new to say on the subject of the festival of freedom. To the women of MachsomWatch, it’s quite clear that we belong on the barricades of protest, on the stage of equality and freedom for Palestinians as well as Israelis, and that our dissent, vocal and active for over a decade of particularly harsh Occupation, is a stand for the traditional Passover call to justice.

13:00 Habla, Gate 1392
The soldiers arrive, on time and on cue, but take their time to open the gates, and there are more than in the past. A brand new pedestrian gate, planted on Palestinian soil, adds to the already present gates on either side of the Security Barricade checkpoint. Progress or institutionalization of the already 44 year old Occupation? The latter, surely, as well as more shekels flowing into the “Who Profits” basket.  

One of the three waiting Palestinians on our side, one of whom has complained that he can get no permit to work in Israel, tells the soldiers that “We are only three,” and they use the pedestrian gateway, and walk over to the concrete building on the other side to be checked.  

Two soldiers now close the vehicle checking gates near where we stand. Why? For protection against onslaught? If so, by whom?  

13:10 – on the far side of the Separation Barrier, we spy the usual tractors, horse cart and a smaller bus than usual for the Bedouin schoolchildren, once again, a mixed group of boys and girls. Pedestrians from the far side cross the usual way, and the brand new pedestrian gate is forgotten. We see that a young man is putting on his belt as he walks towards Habla and we wonder if there’s yet another innovation? A metal detector in the concrete bunker like building? Who knows? After all, we are not privy to the authorities’ strategy or secrets.

13:15 – a flock of sheep and their shepherd wobble their way towards us, and a digger tractor is “searched” in the usual perfunctory manner. The reservist manning the vehicle gates has no idea why there are more soldiers than usual today, at least six or eight, “I’m only a reservist, don’t know what is going on,” and, yes, he will work on the Passover holiday.

13:35 – the friendly nursery owner is “entertaining” a nursery man from Qedumim, a settlement, and we continue to wonder at the paradoxes of Occupation, especially as the latter tells us, in Hebrew, “We are family.”

14:00 – some twenty or so minutes later, outside the settlement itself we spy a Hummer, one of several, especially around settlements today, and higher up the hill, opposite the Palestinian village of Jit, there is a brand new water pipe and its brightly shining controls  rising arrogantly from the ground, serving, we have no doubt, the settlement alone and not its nearest neighbor.

14:10 Jit Junction
A Hummer has stopped there, and soldiers are questioning a Palestinian, although there appears to be no vehicle in sight.

14:30 Deir Sharaf
Yesterday, a new United Nations report, 12.4.11, highlighted progress made by the Palestinian Authority in building institutions necessary for a functioning State, while stressing the need for Israel to roll back “measures of occupation.” “In the limited territory under its control and within the constraints on the ground imposed by unresolved political issues, the PA has accelerated progress in improving its governmental functions,” stated the report, entitled “Palestinian State-building: A Decisive Period.” UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry commended the progress achieved by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, but today the Palestinians disagreed with the analysis and expressed doubts that statehood would be achieved any time soon.

15:15 Shavei Shomron
The checkpoint is no more, and we can sail through easily, but fail to find the Roman ruins for which Sebastia is famous!

16:00 – on the other hand, checkpoints are still alive and well; at the former access point to the settlement, (before the settlers demanded their brand new access road), soldiers are beginning to set up a checkpoint, including spikes on the roadway, but wave us on, as they do the white car behind us with Israeli license plates.

16:15 Anabta
Traffic flows freely, but there is a Hummer and soldiers standing at the foot of the military lookout tower.

16:40 Shaar Efraim
Flocks of Palestinians step down from their contractors’ buses or pickup trucks and walk directly into the terminal building; the flow is continuous, many people carrying strawberries or other packages. We gather that there is no real information as to when the “closure” will begin for the week-long Passover festival when the OPT are closed off more than ever. Surprisingly enough, the Palestinians go on their way without being stopped at any checking booth, and walk straight through the building – homeward bound. As usual, complaints about the long wait in the morning, the time it gets to get to work, and one complaint about withdrawal of a work permit for no apparent reason.

Summary

The media this week are full of "Passover posts," as if there were anything new to say on the subject of the festival of freedom. To the women of MachsomWatch, it's quite clear that we belong on the barricades of protest, on the stage of equality and freedom for Palestinians as well as Israelis, and that our dissent, vocal and active for over a decade of particularly harsh Occupation, is a stand for the traditional Passover call to justice.

 13:00 Habla, Gate 1392

The soldiers arrive, on time and on cue, but take their time to open the gates, and there are more than in the past. A brand new pedestrian gate, planted on Palestinian soil, adds to the already present gates on either side of the Security Barricade checkpoint. Progress or institutionalization of the already 44 year old Occupation? The latter, surely, as well as more shekels flowing into the "Who Profits" basket. 

 One of the three waiting Palestinians on our side, one of whom has complained that he can get no permit to work in Israel, tells the soldiers that "We are only three," and they use the pedestrian gateway, and walk over to the concrete building on the other side to be checked. 

 Two soldiers now close the vehicle checking gates near where we stand. Why?  For protection against onslaught? If so, by whom? 

 13:10 – on the far side of the Separation Barrier, we spy the usual tractors, horse cart and a smaller bus than usual for the Bedouin schoolchildren, once again, a mixed group of boys and girls. Pedestrians from the far side cross the usual way, and the brand new pedestrian gate is forgotten. We see that a young man is putting on his belt as he walks towards Habla and we wonder if there's yet another innovation. A metal detector in the concrete bunker like building? Who knows? After all, we are not privy to the authorities' strategy or secrets.

 13:15 – a flock of sheep and their shepherd wobble their way towards us, and a digger tractor is "searched" in the usual perfunctory manner. The reservist manning the vehicle gates has no idea why there are more soldiers than usual today, at least six or eight, "I'm only a reservist, don't know what is going on," and, yes, he will work on the Passover holiday.

 13:35 – the friendly nursery owner is "entertaining" a nursery man from Qedumim, a settlement, and we continue to wonder at the paradoxes of Occupation, especially as the latter tells us, in Hebrew, "We are family."

 14:00 – some twenty or so minutes later, outside the settlement itself we spy a Hummer, one of several, especially around settlements today, and higher up the hill, opposite the Palestinian village of Jit, there is a brand new water pipe and its brightly shining controls  rising arrogantly from the ground, serving, we have no doubt, the settlement alone and not its nearest neighbor.

 14:10 Jit Junction

A Hummer has stopped there, and soldiers are questioning a Palestinian, although there appears to be no vehicle in sight.

 14:30 Deir Sharaf

Yesterday, a new United Nations report, 12.4.11, highlighted progress made by the Palestinian Authority in building institutions necessary for a functioning State, while stressing the need for Israel to roll back "measures of occupation." "In the limited territory under its control and within the constraints on the ground imposed by unresolved political issues, the PA has accelerated progress in improving its governmental functions," stated the report, entitled "Palestinian State-building: A Decisive Period." UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry commended the progress achieved by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, but today the Palestinians disagreed with the analysis and expressed doubts that statehood would be achieved any time soon.

 15:15 Shavei Shomron

The checkpoint is no more, and we can sail through easily, but fail to find the Roman ruins for which Sebastia is famous!

 16:00 – on the other hand, checkpoints are still alive and well; at the former access point to the settlement, (before the settlers demanded their brand new access road), soldiers are beginning to set up a checkpoint, including spikes on the roadway, but wave us on, as they do the white car behind us with Israeli license plates.

 16:15 Anabta

Traffic flows freely, but there is a Hummer and soldiers standing at the foot of the military lookout tower.

 16:40 Irtah/Sha'ar Efrayim

Flocks of Palestinians step down from their contractors' buses or pickup trucks and walk directly into the terminal building; the flow is continuous, many people carrying strawberries or other packages.

We gather that there is no real information as to when the "closure" will begin for the week-long Passover festival when the OPT are closed off more than ever. Surprisingly enough, the Palestinians go on their way without being stopped at any checking booth, and walk straight through the building – homeward bound. As usual, complaints about the long wait in the morning, the time it gets to get to work, and one complaint about withdrawal of a work permit for no apparent reason.

 There is a conspicuous contrast between our report and those coming from Awarta.  We didn't go with the idea that it is important to continue and show our presence in other places as well.  And also since we don't have any Arabic speakers and we thought that it would not be useful to go there  not knowing  to whom to turn, or whether or not it would be possible to enter the village.  It seems to me that the ordinary occupation situation is shocking and upsetting even if nothing special happens, like what is happening in Awarta.

06:48  Habla. The first group is coming out only now.  They complain that the gate was opened quite late.  The inspections are fast and, within 3 minutes, the next group is already coming out and the one after this, after 2 minutes.  The vehicles gate is closed and the Palestinians exit through the small gate. The guard from the nursery arrives and waits until they see him, and then goes through quickly.  He says that one week ago there were "bad" soldiers who detained people, halted the inspection and took a lot of time.  According to him, there were no women from MachsomWatch there that morning.

07:10  The buses arrive, the drivers' documents are checked, they have to open the luggage compartments for inspection and a soldier enters each bus for inspection.  The buses go out after 6 minutes.  They open and close the gate each time, though everything is done very efficiently and quickly this morning.  Nevertheless, one of the youths says that they are asking a lot of questions and that delays things.

0 7:30  We leave, even though there are at least another 25 people in line and also a large truck with pottery that has come from Qalqilya to the nursery.  At the exit a shepherd stops us and requests  that we try to get the gate to open at 06:00 (which is what was written on the document which Tadesa  gave us) and not at 06:30.  Since a new member is traveling with us, we enter the road that leads to Ras Atira and show her the locked gate and explain the history of the area.  At the exit, we see a large sign announcing "Here Alphei  Menashe is being built".

07:45  Eliyahu Gate. We didn't stop, but we saw that there were about 20 people waiting. We traveled via 'Azzun to Jayyus.  The opening time remains 05:45-06:45, so we didn't go to that gate but rather continued to the Falamya  gate.  On the improved road to Tulkarm there is a detour, through some olive groves and the village of Falamya and then back to the Tulkarm road.

08:00  Agricultural gate, Falamya.  2 tractors, a horse and wagon wait in front of the gate;  after checking of documents, they pass through.  A Palestinian arrives in a car and, in the luggage compartment there is a bicycle.  He tries to go through in the car but it turns out that the permit is for the bicycle and not for the car, so he has to leave the car and ride the bike.

08:20 We leave.  Travel by way of Nofim and the flowers are amazing. We pass through the villages, stop to buy vegetables and talk with the grocer about the situation and then continue through Fundak toward the J'at junction.  On the way, we didn't see any military vehicle at the entrance to the villages or the settlements, also at J'at there was no roadblock or police.  We turned off toward Dir Sharaf, stopping at a grocery/bakery.  The store owner said that there was serious unemployment and the PA can't deal with the problem as there is no industry and it isn't even possible to make a living from agriculture today.  He has a solution:  if Israel were to stop importing foreign labor for agriculture and building, and allow Palestinians to work in Israel, there would be quiet in the territories because "someone who is working and making a living doesn't want to lose his living".  He asked us to write about this in the papers and make known the unemployment problem which is causing agitation. We went up to road #60 to show the wall of Shavei  Shomron and, to our surprise, there was a flying checkpoint.  A truck was stopped for inspection, but the others were allowed through and they also didn't stop us, but just waved us through.  We were tempted to move on, but we stopped there... On the way back, we saw the new hill next to Kedumim; an altogether new building.

 10:15 Shvut Ami is abandoned.

10:30 By way of Eliyahu, in spite of the flags, they didn't check us and we continued toward home.

.

 Natanya translating

There is much army traffic.

13.55  Habla checkpoint.  The gate is open, the inhabitants are going through either on foot or in horse and cart. After the checking in the rooms

14.25 A border patrol jeep stands watching opposite the entrance to the village of Jit.

14.27 Immediately after the Jit checkpoint are two command cars which block the way to Huwwara – road 60. Palestinian cars are forced to go in the direction of the village of Sara and from there to Nablus – and from there to Huwwara-Ramallah and not by the usual road. Soldiers allow us to pass.

In the middle of the ascent about a kilometer before Gilad's farm there is a large gathering. Some command cars and many soldiers. They are next to an Israeli car which is parked at the side of the road at the east. The windows of the car in front are smashed. We did not see another car so could not decide that it was an accident. We did not see Palestinian cars on the road. Only two cars with Israeli number plates came from the opposite direction.  On the road opposite the village of Madama was a command car and two armed soldiers standing next to it.

14.45 At the crossroads of road 60-Burin: We were surprised not to see an Israeli army presence …mini-buses came from the direction of Huwwara-Ramallah turned without being stopped (so it seemed) in the direction of road 60. We parked close to the crossroads and saw that in a few minutes army cars arrived which closed the turning to Palestinians. They were then forced to make a detour to enter Nablus so as to get, for example, to Tulkarm.

14,47 Huwwara checkpoint. Cars going to and from Nablus next to the posts which were not manned.  But sentry posts and a guard post next to the settlement of Bracha.

14.50 Beit Furik checkpoint. We did not see soldiers at the checkpoint. The passage of Palestinians went unchecked.

On all the hitching posts were announcements of “The Land of Israel march.”

The Awarta checkpoint is closed with a yellow iron bar.  We met a TV crew from West Saudi.

We will try to send photos of the occupation of another hill by the settlers of Itamar.

A number of residents of Awarta whom we met said that now and again at night soldiers come and take men and lately women, married and unmarried. It is not known if all return in the morning. They are harassed, interrogate, fingerprints are taken and specimens of their spit. Each time another group.

16.20 Crossroads of Za'tara.  There is a lot of pressure in front of the checkpoint. A border policeman checks cars. Yellow taxis are stopped.       

16.45 Azzun Atma checkpoint.  A police car bring detained Palestinians for a short wait at the checkpoint. When we ask the commander he explains that they created a disturbance in Israel and threw stones. Their work permits were taken from them and they will have to explain their behavior at the DCO so as to have these permits returned to them (?!) We were not allowed to speak to them. Workers coming back from their daily work in the settlements wait in a line to have their documents checked and soon the line disappears.

Translator:  Charles K.

 Awarta Visit

13:30  Habla.  The gates are open.  Three people at the inspection booth.  A pickup truck loaded with seedlings leaves the village.  The school buses have already crossed.  A truck and horse cart are waiting to be inspected.  Today is calm here.

13:50  Eliyahu crossing.  Ten vehicles on line to enter Israel.

A military vehicle parked next to a car belonging to an Israeli woman (a settler?) at the entrance to the village of A-Nabi Elias.  We didn’t stop to see what was going on.

13:50  A military jeep and three soldiers parked at the entrance to Azzun.

 14:05  A military jeep next to a car at the Jit junction.

 We turn south to Route 60.  New red roofs in Yitzhar, on the right - Construction continues apace.

14:15  Huwwara – Traffic flows in both directions, without inspections.  From a distance we don’t see soldiers, but three appear as we approach, walking toward us.  In response to our question they say they’ll begin randomly inspecting vehicles in another 15 minutes.  We didn’t wait.

14:30  Beit Furiq checkpoint.  We don’t see soldiers on site.  A tractor is cleaning the side of the road to Elon Moreh.

14:40  Soldiers at a firing range by the side of the road to Awarta.

14:45  Awarta – We go into a garage, and amid the grease fumes hear the account of one of the villagers.  On Monday night/Tuesday morning (March 29/30) soldiers entered homes, took more than 40 people outside, men of all ages, handcuffed them, took them to the base, and interrogated them, handcuffed, until 4 AM.  During this time houses were searched, using dogs.  In some homes they broke and destroyed whatever they came across.  One of his neighbors said to an officer: “There are little children here who are trembling with fear.”  The officer:  “Shut up.”  Many children have begun to wet their beds.

One of his neighbors had NIS 2000 in a drawer.  The money disappeared.

That night two trailers were placed on the hill between Awarta and Itamar, and the place was called the “young people’s neighborhood.”  That’s how the abominable murders are exploited to take over more land.

Groups of soldiers usually come at night and march through the village alleys to remind them who’s in charge.

Two young men walking past enter and join the conversation.  One, aged 18, says they took him from his home at 10:30, and interrogated him at the base (apparently at the DCO) until 14:30 the following afternoon.  When he complained that the handcuffs were hurting him, the interrogator hit him.

The settlers say there are four tombs of Jewish holy men in the village.  Before they come to pray, the army closes the area.  They bring black spray paint and write “Death to Arabs” on the houses.  On their way back they throw rocks and break the windows of cars and homes and destroy gravestones in the Moslem cemetery they pass through.  Soldier enter the mosque wearing shoes, with dogs.  Border Police soldiers drive through, cursing in Arabic over the loudspeaker.

Only 17 villagers have permits to work in Israel.  After the murders, ten had their permits taken away.  Most work in Nablus, earning NIS 70 per day.  Many young men can’t marry because they can’t afford to build a house.  They barely have enough to eat.

15:30  We left Awarta, and returned to Huwwara through the narrow alleys of Odala village.

16:15  No soldiers at the Za’tar/Tapuach junction.

16:30  Shomron crossing – A few vehicles going through.  A female soldier asks to see our ID’s.

 16:40  Azzun Atma – More than 20 people on line for inspections.  The line moves slowly. 

Translator:  Charles K.

A rainy day.

13:50  Habla – As we approach the checkpoint the soldiers are closing the exit gate from Hable, and half of the exit gate from Israel.

The gates are supposed to close at 14:00.

When we came closer, to the place from which we observe, the soldiers opened the gate they had previously closed and allowed a truck through.  A truck loaded with olive trees also arrived from the Israeli side – the driver got out and went to the inspection room, returned to the truck and went through the checkpoint.

A Palestinian on his way home came running at the last minute and managed to get through before the gates were locked.

While we were there, five vehicles with Israeli plates, their passengers dressed in IDF uniforms, came through the half-opened gate [from the security road].

14:10  Eliyahu crossing – About 7 vehicles waiting briefly to leave Israel – Border Police soldiers check the passengers.

14:30  Jit junction – For a change, we don’t see a military vehicle at the junction, so Palestinian vehicles coming on Route 60 from Jenin/Tulkarm are able to reach Burin, but there we se a Border Police jeep parked diagonally to the road.

14:50  Huwwara checkpoint -  A clump of soldiers next to the inspection point for people entering Nablus doesn’t interfere with the continuous vehicle traffic in both directions.  A soldier approaches us.  We understand from him that Palestinian policemen brought them a man – a Jewish tourist (the soldier wasn’t very clear) who had been wandering around with a knife.

Trying to obtain information from the humanitarian office, we received indirect confirmation of what we’d been told, but they wouldn’t tell us anything about the man.  But we nevertheless were able, from a distance, to see an eccentric-looking person with dreadlocks and a knapsack detained by the soldiers.

15:00  Awarta checkpoint – The yellow metal barrier is closed as usual, preventing people from crossing.

15:10  Beit Furik checkpoint – Traffic flows freely in both directions.

16:15 Za’tara checkpoint – No soldiers at the inspection booths; there are soldiers in the guard towers.  Settler posters on the fences.

16:35  Azzun Atma checkpoint -  Laborers returning from their jobs in the settlements.  Occasionally a line forms.  We’re told that yesterday the line was particularly long. 

7:07  Habla –

We arrive a little late, the buses had already crossed, about 20 people waiting at the Habla exit gate.  They go through slowly – the commander (from the Nachson-Kfir unit) says it’s because this morning they’re short an MP to conduct the inspections.  He’s already been here a month, and hasn’t yet met anyone from Machsom Watch.  He was curious about what we do.  He told us about a small agricultural gate – 1231, Khirbet Asala, that opens at 05:30, not, as stated, at 06:00.  He also told us about a little incident that occurred before we arrived, the result of crowding at the gate.

Two military vehicles opposite Qedumim.

07:52 

Jit junction –

2 soldiers, Palestinians not allowed through.

08:00  Palestinians not allowed through the checkpoint at the exit from Yitzhar.

08:05 

Huwwara is open, traffic flows freely, no soldiers on the road.

08:15 

Awarta – the “back-to-back” checkpoint is closed.

08:30 

Beit Furiq – The checkpoint is open, soldiers conducting random inspections.  A car with a sick woman is given priority.  Soldiers are from the Shaked unit, the commander says they set up at least one flying checkpoint every day.

08:45 

Awarta – Curfew from this morning.  Border Police have pulled spike barriers across the road.  We go into the DCO, which is also closed.  Few Palestinians are waiting for it to open; they tell us the curfew was imposed at 06:00.  A convoy of all kinds of armored military vehicles comes out of Awarta and goes into the DCO.

09:00 

The western entrance to Awarta is also closed.  Teams of journalists and photographers are there, Palestinians working for French and Chinese networks, waiting for information and for something to happen.  An old woman asks to cross; she’s refused permission.  Very quietly she moves away toward a nearby grove and disappears on her way home.

Za’tara – Wonder of wonders, Palestinian vehicles cross freely, but they interrogate us…