'Anabta

Natanya translating. 14.50 Za’tara crossroadsThe police are stopping Palestinian cars. About 30 cars at the exit from Nablus.
 15.45 Huwwara checkpoint  
Random checking. Most cars go through, two are detained to be checked and go on their way after a few minutes.
 16.15 Anabta checkpoint.  One soldier is in the sentry tower and cars pass with no problems.

16.30 IrtahCrossing No line and the workers go through quickly.   

.     

Summary
For the first time in weeks, the Gaza flotilla is no longer top news around the world. But Israel's action against the flotilla lit up, if only for a moment, the darkness in which we live on a day to day basis and a darkness under which we continue our activism against the Occupation. The scene illuminated during the flotilla "incident" is certainly dismal. But we know that already, and have no other solution but to continue to shed light on what we can. In fact, other than the checkpoints, the most powerful tool of the Occupation is the much less visible bureaucracy of Occupation, carried out in the recesses of the DCO offices and designed to harass and humiliate. About that, we were enlightened today.
Routes 55 and 60
It seems as if the settlers' world is holding its breath until September 2010 when the so-called freeze on building in the settlements is lifted. Meanwhile, the outpost building at Shvut Ami is painted blue, maybe even with some white clouds on it, and the road being repaved toward Jenin, on route 60, is closed, closed. We wonder whether U.S. Aid, which is actually helping Palestinians, is being hindered by the IDF!  We, of course, are told, non verbally, to turn round, from the checkpoint at Shavei Shomron.
Deir Sharaf
There we learn that checkpoints are alive and well, if only for short and temporary period. Assira, outside Nablus was closed for a couple of hours recently, by a "rolling" checkpoint – not features of the past.
12:45 Anabta
The tower lookout window is open, and below, there are three soldiers at the checkpoint, not checking traffic, but slowing it down. That, in itself, is an unusual sight. Soon after our observations start, the three soldiers move away, and traffic flows much more smoothly.
13: 25 Irtah
A man is wandering near the Separation Barrier, outside the compound, and an armed guard, of the private company variety, is "shouting" to the man, but non verbally, meaning with his arms, to stop. Neither individual approaches the other. The man puts his bag down on the ground. Clearly, not a photographer's bag, and clearly not a dangerous bag. He shows his ID to the guard.
The compound by Irtah is empty, cars and a bus parked outside, the kiosk and its incongruous chairs and table, closed.
Few workers returning home. But a family, with several small children, returns and goes inside the building.
13:30 Habla
We learn, first, that the DCO is issuing far less permits and making far more trouble. The nursery man's brother can only stay, on his own lands, until 19:00 each day, not until 22:00. His father, who is a landowner, who once had a two year permit to "visit" his own fields, now, has a six month permit. We are told, "There are always new stories." Indeed: the nursery owner's own permit was "mistakenly" issued by a soldier whose only interest was in going home. He told the nursery man to "come back in two days."
The DCO offices, which we cannot visit, on the northern side of Qalqiliya, are a disgrace. As at Irtah, armed guards patrol above the heads of the Palestinians. What is new is that Palestinians are being seen in smaller and smaller rooms, men and women together – a no no in Muslim culture.
We must ask the Ecumenical Accompaniers to go there, since we can't.
13:45 Habla Gate
It's not open, as it should be, and a young man tells us, "Usually it's 2:00, they come when they want to…" Not the kind of situation that existed a few months ago when the gate would open at the time that was communicated to Palestinians and to us.
13: 55 -- this time, two soldiers appear from a Hummer which screeches its way to the gates and then speeds off, no -- screeches off -- in the same way. The two soldiers have no idea, so they tell us, when the gate should open. "Only the commander knows," and he's nowhere in sight. The two soldiers struggle to open the gates, first one then the other, on the far side of the Separation Barrier, opening them with difficulty and with a great lack of speed. Meanwhile, they have no permission to open the gate on the side where we stand, along with half a dozen Palestinians, a donkey cart, a truck and a tractor, and we wait….
14:10 -- the same Hummer, the same feckless woman driver, anxious to show her prowess at the wheel, makes the Hummer do a pirouette, before coming to a standstill by the Habla gate(s), disgorging from its bowels the commander and a number of other soldiers, including a military policeman who unlocks and enters the concrete checking booth. 
The Hummer driver and another soldier now beckon the waiting Palestinians, checking each ID and its matching permit closely. One soldier takes a pile of green IDs and permits and scrutinizes them closely. 
14:15 -- nine people wait, plus an assortment of four wheeled vehicles. Every two minutes, the numbers increase, from nine to twelve to fifteen.
14:20 -- a woman we've met at Ras Atiya greets us, invites us to her home (if only), and says that now the access to Ras Atiya is much more difficult for her, since the old Separation Barrier checkpoint is closed. She has to take a taxi now from Habla.  
And now, a bunch of sheep and goats wait on the far side as the human "beneficiaries" of the Occupier's checking and permit system dwindle to nil. 
 

Summary
For the first time in weeks, the Gaza flotilla is no longer top news around the world. But Israel's action against the flotilla lit up, if only for a moment, the darkness in which we live on a day to day basis and a darkness under which we continue our activism against the Occupation. The scene illuminated during the flotilla "incident" is certainly dismal. But we know that already, and have no other solution but to continue to shed light on what we can. In fact, other than the checkpoints, the most powerful tool of the Occupation is the much less visible bureaucracy of Occupation, carried out in the recesses of the DCO offices and designed to harass and humiliate. About that, we were enlightened today.

Routes 55 and 60
It seems as if the settlers' world is holding its breath until September 2010 when the so-called freeze on building in the settlements is lifted. Meanwhile, the outpost building at Shvut Ami is painted blue, maybe even with some white clouds on it, and the road being repaved toward Jenin, on route 60, is closed, closed. We wonder whether U.S. Aid, which is actually helping Palestinians, is being hindered by the IDF!  We, of course, are told, non verbally, to turn round, from the checkpoint at Shavei Shomron.

Deir Sharaf
There we learn that checkpoints are alive and well, if only for short and temporary period. Assira, outside Nablus was closed for a couple of hours recently, by a "rolling" checkpoint - not features of the past.

12:45 Anabta
The tower lookout window is open, and below, there are three soldiers at the checkpoint, not checking traffic, but slowing it down. That, in itself, is an unusual sight. Soon after our observations start, the three soldiers move away, and traffic flows much more smoothly.

13: 25 Irtah
A man is wandering near the Separation Barrier, outside the compound, and an armed guard, of the private company variety, is "shouting" to the man, but non verbally, meaning with his arms, to stop. Neither individual approaches the other. The man puts his bag down on the ground. Clearly, not a photographer's bag, and clearly not a dangerous bag. He shows his ID to the guard.

The compound by Irtah is empty, cars and a bus parked outside, the kiosk and its incongruous chairs and table, closed.

Few workers returning home. But a family, with several small children, returns and goes inside the building.

13:30 Habla
We learn, first, that the DCO is issuing far less permits and making far more trouble. The nursery man's brother can only stay, on his own lands, until 19:00 each day, not until 22:00. His father, who is a landowner, who once had a two year permit to "visit" his own fields, now, has a six month permit. We are told, "There are always new stories." Indeed: the nursery owner's own permit was "mistakenly" issued by a soldier whose only interest was in going home. He told the nursery man to "come back in two days."

The DCO offices, which we cannot visit, on the northern side of Qalqiliya, are a disgrace. As at Irtah, armed guards patrol above the heads of the Palestinians. What is new is that Palestinians are being seen in smaller and smaller rooms, men and women together - a no no in Muslim culture.

We must ask the Ecumenical Accompaniers to go there, since we can't.

13:45 Habla Gate
It's not open, as it should be, and a young man tells us, "Usually it's 2:00, they come when they want to..." Not the kind of situation that existed a few months ago when the gate would open at the time that was communicated to Palestinians and to us.

13: 55 -- this time, two soldiers appear from a Hummer which screeches its way to the gates and then speeds off, no -- screeches off -- in the same way. The two soldiers have no idea, so they tell us, when the gate should open. "Only the commander knows," and he's nowhere in sight. The two soldiers struggle to open the gates, first one then the other, on the far side of the Separation Barrier, opening them with difficulty and with a great lack of speed. Meanwhile, they have no permission to open the gate on the side where we stand, along with half a dozen Palestinians, a donkey cart, a truck and a tractor, and we wait....

14:10 -- the same Hummer, the same feckless woman driver, anxious to show her prowess at the wheel, makes the Hummer do a pirouette, before coming to a standstill by the Habla gate(s), disgorging from its bowels the commander and a number of other soldiers, including a military policeman who unlocks and enters the concrete checking booth.  

The Hummer driver and another soldier now beckon the waiting Palestinians, checking each ID and its matching permit closely. One soldier takes a pile of green IDs and permits and scrutinizes them closely.

14:15 -- nine people wait, plus an assortment of four wheeled vehicles. Every two minutes, the numbers increase, from nine to twelve to fifteen.

14:20 -- a woman we've met at Ras Atiya greets us, invites us to her home (if only), and says that now the access to Ras Atiya is much more difficult for her, since the old Separation Barrier checkpoint is closed. She has to take a taxi now from Habla.

And now, a bunch of sheep and goats wait on the far side as the human "beneficiaries" of the Occupier's checking and permit system dwindle to nil. 

Summary
For the first time in weeks, the Gaza flotilla is no longer top news around the world. But Israel's action against the flotilla lit up, if only for a moment, the darkness in which we live on a day to day basis and a darkness under which we continue our activism against the Occupation. The scene illuminated during the flotilla "incident" is certainly dismal. But we know that already, and have no other solution but to continue to shed light on what we can. In fact, other than the checkpoints, the most powerful tool of the Occupation is the much less visible bureaucracy of Occupation, carried out in the recesses of the DCO offices and designed to harass and humiliate. About that, we were enlightened today.

Routes 55 and 60
It seems as if the settlers' world is holding its breath until September 2010 when the so-called freeze on building in the settlements is lifted. Meanwhile, the outpost building at Shvut Ami is painted blue, maybe even with some white clouds on it, and the road being repaved toward Jenin, on route 60, is closed, closed. We wonder whether U.S. Aid, which is actually helping Palestinians, is being hindered by the IDF!  We, of course, are told, non verbally, to turn round, from the checkpoint at Shavei Shomron.

Deir Sharaf
There we learn that checkpoints are alive and well, if only for short and temporary period. Assira, outside Nablus was closed for a couple of hours recently, by a "rolling" checkpoint - not features of the past.

12:45 Anabta
The tower lookout window is open, and below, there are three soldiers at the checkpoint, not checking traffic, but slowing it down. That, in itself, is an unusual sight. Soon after our observations start, the three soldiers move away, and traffic flows much more smoothly.

13: 25 Irtah
A man is wandering near the Separation Barrier, outside the compound, and an armed guard, of the private company variety, is "shouting" to the man, but non verbally, meaning with his arms, to stop. Neither individual approaches the other. The man puts his bag down on the ground. Clearly, not a photographer's bag, and clearly not a dangerous bag. He shows his ID to the guard.

The compound by Irtah is empty, cars and a bus parked outside, the kiosk and its incongruous chairs and table, closed.

Few workers returning home. But a family, with several small children, returns and goes inside the building.

13:30 Habla
We learn, first, that the DCO is issuing far less permits and making far more trouble. The nursery man's brother can only stay, on his own lands, until 19:00 each day, not until 22:00. His father, who is a landowner, who once had a two year permit to "visit" his own fields, now, has a six month permit. We are told, "There are always new stories." Indeed: the nursery owner's own permit was "mistakenly" issued by a soldier whose only interest was in going home. He told the nursery man to "come back in two days."

The DCO offices, which we cannot visit, on the northern side of Qalqiliya, are a disgrace. As at Irtah, armed guards patrol above the heads of the Palestinians. What is new is that Palestinians are being seen in smaller and smaller rooms, men and women together - a no no in Muslim culture.

We must ask the Ecumenical Accompaniers to go there, since we can't.

13:45 Habla Gate
It's not open, as it should be, and a young man tells us, "Usually it's 2:00, they come when they want to..." Not the kind of situation that existed a few months ago when the gate would open at the time that was communicated to Palestinians and to us.

13: 55 -- this time, two soldiers appear from a Hummer which screeches its way to the gates and then speeds off, no -- screeches off -- in the same way. The two soldiers have no idea, so they tell us, when the gate should open. "Only the commander knows," and he's nowhere in sight. The two soldiers struggle to open the gates, first one then the other, on the far side of the Separation Barrier, opening them with difficulty and with a great lack of speed. Meanwhile, they have no permission to open the gate on the side where we stand, along with half a dozen Palestinians, a donkey cart, a truck and a tractor, and we wait....

14:10 -- the same Hummer, the same feckless woman driver, anxious to show her prowess at the wheel, makes the Hummer do a pirouette, before coming to a standstill by the Habla gate(s), disgorging from its bowels the commander and a number of other soldiers, including a military policeman who unlocks and enters the concrete checking booth.  

The Hummer driver and another soldier now beckon the waiting Palestinians, checking each ID and its matching permit closely. One soldier takes a pile of green IDs and permits and scrutinizes them closely.

14:15 -- nine people wait, plus an assortment of four wheeled vehicles. Every two minutes, the numbers increase, from nine to twelve to fifteen.

14:20 -- a woman we've met at Ras Atiya greets us, invites us to her home (if only), and says that now the access to Ras Atiya is much more difficult for her, since the old Separation Barrier checkpoint is closed. She has to take a taxi now from Habla.

And now, a bunch of sheep and goats wait on the far side as the human "beneficiaries" of the Occupier's checking and permit system dwindle to nil.  

 Natanya translating

13.34 The agricultural gate of Habla (1393). 
We came late by 4 minutes. And as we had done so had the driver of a Palestinian truck who was refused entrance. “He only came 4 minutes late,” we said to the soldier at the gate. “Can’t you let him go through?” The answer of the soldier came immediately. “Even if he had come 3 seconds late I would not let him pass.” Can it be that from his voice arises joy in someone else’s calamity?
When we asked if the bus with the children had gone through he said he could not remember.
In the same fashion he replied when we asked if the bus went through each day. He did not know.
(Does the bus not go through because it is the long holiday?)  No he is not new here. “I hope you are not recording me. We know you.”
We went back to road 55. We did not try to get to the yellow gate which closes the road to Ras A-Tirah. The soldier at Habla knew to tell us that it was closed and that the DCO was seeing to it that  the farmers from Ras A-Tirah got to their lands by different paths.
 
14.00 The Eliyahu crossing. Little traffic.

At the crossroads of Zufin the Israeli police were present because of an accident.
 
At Azzun Atma an army Hummer  was present but the traffic was not limited.
 
Before  El-Funduq (after we had found that the shift of Yehudiet L. was going to Atara)  on road 5066 in the direction of Emanuel and Ariel.
 
15.00 The village of Haris.  We stopped in the village and bought items at the grocery shop and we wanted to go on to Kif'l Harat. Children signed to us not to go on. Young people turned to us once they had realized that we were Jews and said that we should not go as the shabab were making problems.
So we turned around and went on road 505.
 
The crossroad of Za'tara/Tapuach – the traffic is flowing.

15.40 Huwwara checkpoint.
Little traffic. Taxis leaving Nablus are checked quickly . There is no passage for Israeli trucks coming from Nablus. They are pointed in the direction it seems of Awarta.
Now and again soldiers checked the IDs of Israelis going into Nablus.
 
We went on road 60  to the north.
Opposite the entrance to Yitzhar – border police are making a thorough search of  a car from the area.
The driver and all the passengers are outside. It seems that it was a random check. When they are freed the police sign to another car to stop. A man (Palestinian?) sits on the ground apart from the passengers of the taxi. Even though we stopped for a long time we could not find out why he was detained and he would not answer our questions.

16.10 The checkpoint of Anabta. The traffic flows.

16.30 The crossing at Kafriat/Te'enim.  
Israeli cars going into the occupied areas are checked thoroughly.

16.40 Irtah/Efraim crossing.
It is the time of those returning home. Most of the workers greet us with pleasant faces, a turn of the hands, some in Hebrew, some in English. “Now it is OK. 
In the morning they drive us crazy,” one said. “Today was OK, the whole day has been ok,” said another.

At the Anabta checkpoint we saw a military jeep and a soldier.
They seemed to be there only to show that they are still there - like us.

17:00 Irtah - Ephraim Gate,

The turnstile was open, the workers were going through and out the nearest exit.
The hall was empty except for one guy sweeping the floor. There was no problem. 
Suddenly the turnstile was locked andf no one could go through. The line of workers was growing and we could see no reason for the delay. Then a guard appeared on the beam above facing the turnstile, and the women and children began to arrive. We noticed the big busses parked outside the parking area. For the women and children returning from the prison visits a guard was necessary. The turnstile was opened. The workers continued going through without any checking; The women and children lined up at 2 windows to have their ID cards checked.

  .   

Translation:  Judith Green

6:50  Hablah Gate
The gate is closed.  From where we are standing, we see about 30 people waiting.

6:52  -the gate opens.  When the first 5 people came out ( after about 3 minutes), we asked them when they had arrived at the checkpoint and they all answered that they had arrived at 3AM, "in order to get a good place in line". 
A Bedouin woman (from Arab-armadin), who sat in a donkey cart and waited to go through the checkpoint, was sent back because she was taking "merchandise" through - a crate of onions.  After she removed the onions and left them at the side of the gate, she was allowed to go through without her "merchandise".  Our translator said that she would return in the evening and try to go through with them.  Nina spoke with the checkpoint commander, who said that he didn't allow her to go through with her "merchandise" since she didn't co-ordinate it previously (?).  In the quarter hour after the opening of the gate, 25 people had gone through. 

7:20 - A bus with children arrived at the entrance, going to  Ras a-Tirah. The driver explained that today was the last day in the school year.  The older children (those with IDs) get off the bus and are sent for inspection of their documents, as is the driver.

7:30 - Up until now, 50-60 people have passed through.  We checked the average time of about 1/5 of the people:  2.5 minutes.  A Palestinian with a donkey cart in which were 2 jugs of sheep's milk from his flock which he grazes on the Israeli side of the gate, who had been waiting about about 3/4 hour in order to enter the village, says, after his daily harassment, "Now we will vote for Nasrallah."

-  8:17 the gate closes.  Another soldier begins to lock the gate when another young man arrives who wants to enter the village again.  The soldiers did not agree and shut the gate in his face. 8:30Ephraim Gate/Irtah. - no one there. At the village of Izbat at Tabib we saw a garbage truck collecting trash.  This was the first time for me.  The entrance from Izbat at Tabib to Azzun is open.
9:00 - the checkpoint at Shavei Shomron is still closed.  Work is being done on the road. 9:30 - Checkpoint at Anabta is open. 

9:35 - They are paving the road between Einav and Avnei Hefetz, for the convenience of 2 settlements, while the parallel route between Upper and Lower Shufa is closed.

Natanya translating.

.  16.00 Checkpoint of Anabta. 
3 army jeeps next to the sentry tower in which is a soldier but cars pass with no problems. After a few minutes the jeeps leave.
 16.30 The checkpoint of Irtah.
2 posts are working. Many workers arrive and pass with no checking.
The turnstile makes a terrible rcket.   
.   

Translation:  Suzanne O.

We decided to visit as many villages as possible today, Saturday, time on our hands, to talk to people and to get to know the area.

Hagar L's details of the route were very helpful.

Azun Atma roadblock

10:20 a.m. 

There are 2 soldiers in the outer position, one in the inspection room.  In answer to our question we were told that the roadblock opens on Saturday from 4:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., as on every other day.  2 women go through, take out their papers and show them, and within a minute they are out.  A youth with a boy of 3 goes in and within 2 minutes comes out again.  They were going to the grocer's via the roadblock... when he came out I asked what they had bought and the boy, with heartbreaking obedience, opened the bag and showed me - some kind of sweet.  I though about my son, who is the same age, who with the natural cheek of a youngster would probably have answered, "it's none of your business what I bought".  Here, however, the youngsters are not cheeky.

Back to Road No.5, eastwards, we crossed to Road No. 446 and from there to the road leading to the Palestinian villages Brokin, Kfar a Dik.  We went into a grocery store, gave out clothes, introduced ourselves, gave out visiting cards. at Dir Balut junction roadblock, there was a soldier in the watch tower but cars are not stopped for inspection.  We continued on north to Rafach, Mischa, Bidia.  We stopped for a falafel and talked a little to the people.  Again we gave out visiting cards and again heard stories about various people refused entry.

We continued on to Chars and from there on the freeway to Huwwara.

Anabta

2:00 p.m. 

There are no inspections.  There is a soldier in the watch tower.

Kafriat/Te'enim roadblock

3:20 p.m. 

There is a queue of 30 cars with Israeli number plates.  The inspection is very slow.  Small children congregate around the cars and try to sell us sweets.  We buy some and then simply give money to each one but then again give, give, and it does not stop.  A bad feeling.

It took us about 40 minutes to cross this roadblock and to enter Israeli territory.

Guest: Svetlana K., Maria K.

11:45 Gate 1392, Habla Agricultural Gate
We arrive to find the gate
closed, waited awhile, but still no one arrives to open it. We stop
by the nursery to inquire and find out that the army has changed the
hours to accommodate the Bedouin children who return from school on
the bus only at 12:30.

11:45 Ras Atiya
We drive
to Ras Atiya, but find the new barrier completed and completely
closed. No on can pass. Down the security road we see two soldiers
sitting and trucks coming out and traveling up the road.

15:00
Anabta
Vehicles lined up from both sides, moving slowly, a
back up of about 7 vehicles at both sides.

15:15 Sha'ar Efraim
A constant flow of people returning home, but no
lines or waiting, although only 2 booths are open, several
Palestinians tell us we should have been there in the morning.