Beit Furik

 Translation: Tal H.  

Tapuach Za'tara Junction CP 15:00

9 vehicles coming from the west, about20 from Nablus in two waiting lines.

Yitzhar road Junction CP - unmanned

Huwwara Checkpoint 15:15       

Checkpoint commander: a sergeant whose name, we eventually deduce, is probably S. One of several soldiers present with long white "tzitziyot" protruding from under their army uniform (part of traditional orthodox male garb).

DCO representative: R.

3 active checking posts.

One of the local cab drivers tells us that earlier today, at noon, "there were guys here from the GSS (security services) and they raised hell. They took out ten students from the waiting lines and led them back behind the bungalow (former "humanitarian point") to pressure them into becoming collaborators."

The special side line for women and elderly moves rather rapidly.

A heavy woman-MP with a laterally held rifle takes up much of the room on the narrow path the women have to use, as she moves against their traffic and hits them unnoticing or unwilling to acknowledge their need for room as bodies moving in space.

The men's lines are impeccable single files. As though they had just been drilled.

A securing soldier yells "Whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!" at such volume that even we jump. A major row takes place inside the lines and the soldiers stress out and roar even more than usual. This scene goes on and on, the Palestinians can no longer get through, checking is stopped. The commander does not intervene, at least as far as we can see. A soldier climbs up on the metal bars of the revolving gates and yells a series of blood-curdling orders down at the men. Apparently there's also a stuck turnstile.

15:30 Two detainees at the concrete hold. We have no way of approaching them, they are constantly interrogated by soldiers. Fifteen minutes later they are released by the commander after holding a long talk with them.

Military policewomen do not cease their screaming.

The next scare: a soldier manning the observation tower has apparently run out of batteries, and he breaks out in screams that resound all across the checkpoint compound, at everyone in sight, both soldiers and Palestinians.

R., the DCO, arrives and tells us about the row that broke out earlier: someone fell down in the lines, and nearly got trampled. That's when the soldiers entered the crowd to get him up.

Beit Furik Checkpoint 16:10

Many pedestrians at this hour (earlier than our usual arrival). Long vehicle line.

Entering and exiting vehicles get checked on the same lane. For some reason this evening we are greeted warmly by nearly everyone exiting the shed, as we stand on the freshly painted white line.

17:00 Back to Huwwara

A bus exiting Nablus has been waiting for over an hour and a half (we began timing it before we left for Beit Furik). Still crowds in the pedestrian waiting lines. A young boy comes out, complaining: "They killed us here today. Waite over three hours!"

Prisoners released from the Israeli Damon jail hand the soldiers their release papers (no IDs). A deaf dialogue ensues: the soldier says again and again in Hebrew that there's a number missing. The man does not understand him. Finally he is allowed through. Others like him are still waiting. Tense. "Why do I have to wait here for three hours because of your army's papers?"

A Military Policewoman breaks out in a shrieking amok, "Fly back!!"

18:00 We leave.

Translation: Maureen A. 

7:40 The entrance road to the village of Zeita is blocked with concrete blocks.
 

7:45 The Za'tara Checkpoint

 6 vehicles from the west, 12 from the north.

8:00 Beit Furik Checkpoint

 No vehicles. Few pedestrians.
 

Awarta Checkpoint

 13 trucks coming from the Israeli side, and about the same number in the  opposite direction.
 There's one security check station open, which is checking one vehicle from   each direction alternately; therefore the long lines.

Huwwara Checkpoint

 There are about 50 - 60 people in lines in the shed.

8:40 A bus arrives from Nablus - as usual, the passengers are told to get off the bus  for the security check.  We measure the time.

 One woman passing by looks at the tag I'm wearing and 'advises' us, in  English: "Go listen to how they are yelling at us." (She's probably talking  about a soldier/soldiers at the other end of the line. We didn't hear it.)

9:10 The above-mentioned bus is allowed to leave (it was detained for 30 minutes).

9:30 One of the people passing by remarks sarcastically, "You are standing here to  help us - sure!"  As Bialik said before him, "[They] have seen you anew in  your limited power."

During our entire stay at the Checkpoint we had no contact whatsoever with any of the soldiers (except for "Hi" from the DCO representative).

10:30 We left, via the Jit road.

Translation: Hanna K.

Atara:
We arrived at 06:45, the hour people go out to work. There is a long queue of cars, but the checking is done by sampling. The drivers who tried to bypass the queue which progresses quickly, are the main reason for the delays. And like every week we wonder again - why this CP, one of many hundreds, is put up precisely at the entrance to the Bir Zeit university and to Ramallah.

Za'tara:
5 cars in the direction west-east and 11 in the direction north-south.
There are three lanes active and there is no delay at passing - and again - why does one have to take people off the busses after they have been checked only a few kilometers before at Huwwara - the Occupation surely has the answers!

Huwwara:
"water-sprinkler turn around..." From the parking lot one can already see the very long queue at the entrance to Nablus. Hundreds of people crowd together and the turnstile turns very slowly, one by one. Women with babies on their arms, old people with their canes, sick people on their crutches, people hurrying to their jobs or studies - an entire world! All pass one by one, and the anger mounds from moment to moment. The young people, and those who know Hebrew try to persuade an especially nervous sergeant to let them pass by way of the road - but he refused to "take any risk". "If we let them pass by way of the road an ambulance my come and run them over" - even veterans like us have not yet heard such an original excuse! The attempts to persuade the sergeant to let the people pass by way of the road and thus alleviate the pressure were to no avail. Phone calls to the brigade headquarters brought two officers and a DCO officer to the spot - the road was opened, and hundreds of people passed on their way to Nablus. This "success" of ours irritated the soldiers very much and the bad attitude they displayed towards us only became worse. We became nothing but air - but we accepted this willingly!

People coming from Nablus have to wait about two hours to pass - although all the posts are open. We tried to talk to the responsible officer - we didn't get the impression that this causes him undue worry. "I will not agree that the checking won't be done thoroughly - they brought this upon themselves". Many left cursing - each days we create thus more and more people filled with hate who won't forgive this for many generations to come! During the 4 hours in which we stayed there the queue didn't become shorter, and the atmosphere was very tense. The General Security Services men sat in a car behind the "Humanitarian Spot" and waited for their prey! From the town Nablus too many Israeli cars with the bald types with the Rambo sunglasses "our cute Sabras". The soldiers' behavior doesn't improve from week to week. The screaming from one post to the next, the screaming at the Palestinians, the singing and joke telling (after all "they" don't understand Hebrew!) leave us speechless - and these soldiers will tomoroow be civilians and we behave just as we see them behaving on the street, in the shop, on the roads - everywhere.

The girl apprentice dog trainer saw to it that the passage of cars from Nablus took half an hour per car. After about ten cars the pace increased a little. The main thing is that people should move away as much as possible from the car - because the secret "reason" which is clear to everybody won't "be understood" by those "morons who pass here".

At the entrance to Nablus there is no delay. Many ambulances, more than usual, passed quickly.

A military policewoman who began her shift came to us and "complained" that the site is not up to date - we explained to her that we lanced a new site, and how to find old material, and it seemed that we solved for her a mystery which occupied her mind.

We stood on both sides of the white line (which is now brown) and talked idly. Suddenly a soldier appeared and with an unbelievable rudeness demanded that we stand to one side of the line only. As the distance between the two of us was not more than 5 cms, and as his demand was very coarse, we insisted not to move. The soldier who had approached as in connection with the site approached us and tried to intervene, but we insisted. The soldier's impertinence had this result - perhaps otherwise we would not have discussed a matter of 5 cms.

There is no doubt that the preparation that the soldiers get for their service at the checkpoint includes a comprehensive seminary regarding the "damage and disturbance" of Machsom Watch to the activity at the CP, because from one generation of soldiers to the other we hear the same words. The remarks repeat themselves at all the CPs. Now when the officer corps will be composed many of kippa wearers and the spirit will be of "Eretz Israel is ours and ours only" - the brainwashing will deepen more and more.

Beit Furik:
The new white line could have been in Tel aviv - there is no way to see or hear anything from there. We didn't give it any attention and crossed the road and stood where we always stand - opposite the CP from where one can see and hear. Nobody turned to us and we didn't talk to anybody. There are few people at the CP and they all pass quickly. There is nothing to photograph - because the main part of the occupation one cannot photograph - is occurs somewhere else, and the fact that the villages all around  are completely blocked - is not known or seen and the Israelis are not really interested in the 60.ooo Palestinians.

Huwwara: 
We returned to Huwara - nothing has changed and nothing will probably change.

We left at 12:45.

 Translation: Nina S. 

7.15 - Za'tara/Tapuach junction.
No lines. From the north there are 2 active CPs. Buses and minibuses are sent to the parking lot to be checked, passengers alight and are let on after a few minutes.

7.45 - Yitzhar-Huwwara junction
 Is open, No manned CP.

7.50 - Huwwara

About 40 pedestrians wait in line. There are 2 active CPs and a "Humanitarian". The checking of outgoing vehicles is very slow. It seems the soldiers have lost all their adrenalin today, they take their time.
In the 1 hour and 15 minutes we were there, 2 buses and 1 van crossed. The passengers alight, each has to pass their personal bags through the X-ray machine, then they are made to stand in line as if they were taking part in a drill exercise, some are resent to the screening car while the dog goes through the bus and after 20-25 minutes they may go back to the bus and continue on their way. It's exasperating. In one of the buses 2 young women were not allowed to pass and had to return to Nablus, unfortunately we were not able to talk to them as we could not get near them.

In the olive plantation, about 50 meters from the CP, we see 2 Palestinians. They seem to be harvesting. Next to them there is a military hummer and 4 chatting soldiers - seem to be "guarding" the Palestinians.

At the parking lot we were approached by one of the coffee vendors - he is asking what can be done so they will be able to sell their coffee and the soldiers will not turn over their little kiosks and throw them out.
We explained that, to our sorrow, we are unable to help (naturally there seems to be no problem for the Jewish settler who has set up a coffee house, including permanent cover and chairs, at the parking lot of the Za'tara/Tapuach junction. It does not seem anybody is going to kick him out or turn over his kiosk).

9.15 - Beit Furik

Upon our arrival there are 5 cars in line going to Nablus. The CP is nearly empty and pedestrians pass quickly. A military car stops next to us and in it is a DCO rep. He asks how we are and says that if the soldiers will close the CP, due to our presence, we should call him, as it is against regulation, but we must say behind the white line!

When we leave there are 6 cars in line.

10.15 Za'tara/Tapuach  junction -
About 15 cars are in line from the north, 2 CPs are active and passage is fast.

Natanya translating.

1. One shift to two areas.

2. Shoes.

12.57 Zeita.  
The entrance blocked with cement blocks.
 

13.02 Za'tara. 
One checking area to the cars coming from the west. No waiting. Two checking areas to those coming from the north (Nablus)  with 4 cars waiting. For a change the soldier smiles at those arriving and lets them through without delay.

13.16  Yitzhar is empty.
 

At the turning to the DCO we see police cars, 2 ambulances and settlers but as we go to see what is happening the police call to us through the microphone not to block the passage (which we were not)  and so we do not know what happened.
 

13.23 Huwwara.
Here we were told that the women settlers had thrown bottles at cars in the parking lot. They were still there when the police cars and ambulances left and we could not find out more.

There were two detainees in the enclosure. One lad who had tried to bypass and R. who always has a problem with his ID and was freed after half an hour and said about the soldiers that they were only doing their jobs!!
A man arrives and says that his neighbour who had been detained had not received his phone back. He gave us the name and said he would come back with further details but did not.

3 checking areas, pressure, about 100 people waiting for the checking of IDs, parcels and the ritual dance of undressing and maybe also the x-ray machine on the other side. There is also  a humanitarian line.

Car lane. At the entrance to Nablus  IDs, permits and licenses are checked but cars leaving are checked more carefully.

A Palestinian policeman is sent to the enclosure and when T. from the DCO arrives he does not know why this is so and has no further details. It seems that the policeman had on shoes of the Israeli army  and the soldiers did not know what to do. The solution was to let the Palestinian go to his place of work with Abu Mazen in Ramallah (he is from Jenin) ....without his shoes.  And so a Palestinian policeman stands at an army checkpoint in his socks. He agreed to go with us to Ramallah to look for a shoe shop which we found and the policeman left there with a present of a new pair of shoes which looked like the ones he had had on.

15.23 Beit Furik.
One detainee who had been found on a forbidden road. No pressure of cars or pedestrians. The commander will not let us stand where we usually do and says we may not pass the white line and sends us away and we inform Naomi.

Next to the thicket in front of the entrance to Awarta stands a bearded settler with his van loaded with trees for firewood.
 

15. 49 Awarta.
18 Palestinian trucks which arrived from Awarta wait to pass the checkpoint in the direction of Nablus. We phone R. at the centre and inform her of this. She promises to see what she can do. As soon as we arrive the commander sends us away from the place where we usually stand..... as had happened  at Beit Iba  ...claiming that we were bothering them. Only when we had moved off  to parking lot did the trucks start passing swiftly as if to say that they had been held up because of our presence. This was not so as when we arrived we had already seen  the  stationery line from the main road and that was the reason that we had gone in to Awarta.

16.12 Huwwara. Slightly less pressure and no detainees.
 
Yitzhar.  Was empty and Jit was not manned.
 

16.43 Beit Iba.
There were 21 cars in both directions. The pedestrians had parcels and IDs checked and those going into Nablus were checked randomly and people hardly had to wait. When we left there were still 15 cars waiting to go into Nablus and we phoned the centre where D. said she would check. We see buses filled with children and women waiting in the long line of cars and ask ourselves what happens when one of them needs a toilet.  

Translation: Hanna K. 

07:15 Zeita - the gates are closed.

07:30 Za'tara/Tapuach -
No restrictions, no delays.

2-3 vehicles from each direction.

07:45 Huwwara - There are no passage restrictions.

Two checking posts are active as well as the humanitarian queue. There is an increasing pressure at the men's checking posts owing to the slowness of the checking process.

At the vehicles' lanes: There are a few cars coming from the south from time to time. The checking is continuous.

From the north, a limited number of vehicles (it is difficult to be sure from our observation point below. Later we made our observation from the Bracha mountain slope). The duration of the checking is, on the averace, 2-3 minutes.

08:10 The vehicles' traffic increases from both directions.

There is a DCO representative on the place.

08:50 Beit Furik

The CP was opened at 05:30

We receive orders to stand behind the CP and we don't argue. The demand includes a threat to stop the checking.

The checking proceeds continuously and without delays, although one lanes saves for cars coming in both directions  (to Nablus, and out of it to Beit Furiq). The waiting period for entering Nablus is short.

09:20 The CP commander and his soldiers are conscious of the fact that we are observing, and begin throwing at us teasing remarks without any provocation, and a sort of question: "something wrong?". We intentionally do not reply. There CP commander decides for some reason to move towards us for a "conversation". To his question what is not to our liking we answer that under the conditions existing at the CPs the checking progresses alright but if he asks then he should know that in the course of the years we were allowed to stand next to the checking area, and in fact, should he check the rules and regulations he will realize that the area is not a closed military zone. The young man says what his age is, and add with childish haughtiness: "I am nineteen and a half years old, and I am the CP commander here. If I want it - the CP will be closed now, and no commander will tell me to open it". To our regret he is not a partner for conversation, and it is a pity to waste words on him, also considering the age gap and the experience. There is no point in causing him any stress, especially out of consideration for the people who have to pass at the CP. In any case the things have to be decided in some other place and by people who have higher ranks than he.

10:00 Back at Huwwara

The parking lot is full, overflowing and filthy. There is no free parking space.

The traffic at the CP - both of pedestrians and of vehicles - increases, but no special problems arise and there are no superfluous delays.

We tried to deal with the matter of a taxi drvier from Huwwara whose papers were confiscated (and were not returned) because of a suspicion that he had transported suspects (he was detained and then released without being charged). We were assisted by the DCO representative who instructed him to return to the DCO after he talked to them on the phone. He left in a hurry with his friend, without exchanging phone numbers with us and we didn't get a chance to get his details. We learned that his request was rejected. We asked the Palestinian S. to try and get the man's phone or that of his friend, to enable us to continue dealing with the matter from home, but didn't get them, to our great regret.

10:30 we left. 
At Za'tara/Tapuach there is no pressure.

Natanya translating.

2.20 Huwwara. 
When we arrive there was a change in shift and the violent flat was flying. We could hear from afar "Move. Move. Go back, You man, walk." It seems that when the soldiers were sent out to the checkpoint these were the only words that they learned.  Because the different lines functioned in different ways people who have passed through wait for one another. Where do they go? A question that need not be asked. Once there were benches for them to wait on and now there are none.  The military policewoman sends us off and will not answer questions.  One of the soldier says. " Once again they are here, them!"  A young man is detained for 10 minutes and freed.
 

3.20 Beit Furik.
The white lane is no longer as amateurish as it was a two weeks ago. The new line does allow us to see something and so it fills its function.  Few people passing at this moment and 10 cars wait at the exit.

3.40  We went back to Hawarra where there were more soldiers and commanders. It seems that reinforcements were called in after a fight between two Palestinians. The humanitarian line is slower than the ordinary line and the men wait for their wives. A Palestinian says that those who have arrived are indifferent to what is happening and is more interested in chatting about romantic matters thinking that the Palestinians do not understand. An hour later at 4.30 another humanitarian line is opened   and the line shortens.

4.40 We left.

 Translation: Maureen A.

13:35  - Zeita  The entrance road is blocked by huge concrete blocks.

13:40  -  Za'atar (Tapuach)

We counted 4 vehicles coming from the east, 12 from the south. The checkpoint commander tells us that there are no passage restrictions, there are warnings, but he doesn't want to "tell a civilian" exactly what they are. There are taxi passengers waiting for a security check of their parcels. The small magnometer isn't there; it takes time to find it. Their parcels are checked thoroughly. 10 passengers are waiting for a bus to be checked. The security check is going very slowly - sun, cola, smiles. The soldiers are enjoying themselves, so they're not in a hurry. The bus' luggage compartment is checked. A suitcase is opened; it contains underwear and socks. The checkpoint commander goes through them with both his hands. "Yaalla Sayara", he finally says, unwillingly, and returns the ID's to their owners.

14:00  -  Burin  
There's a checkpoint for those coming from Jit. 3 cars are waiting. At 16:00 the checkpoint was unmanned.

14:10  -  Beit Furik

There's a new, freshly drawn white line drawn at the very beginning of the checkpoint, just where the concrete structure begins, through which those going to Nablus have to pass. The checkpoint comes to a stand-still when we arrive. "That's an order from the Brigade Commander, since Thursday," the checkpoint commander shouts. We moved away and called H., the DCO Commander.  He tells us to stand behind the line.  One of R.'s friends told us "R. would like the woman in charge from among us to call him" (what if none of us is 'in charge'?).  We also call our checkpoint team.

We saw him (during the short time we were inside the checkpoint); we were told that he was sent back to Nablus. The pedestrian traffic in both directions is normal for the hour.

A Border Police jeep pulls up to one of the drivers standing at the entrance to the city. The soldiers check the driver's ID and check the vehicle, all this before he even reached the checkpoint passage point. While he was waiting for his turn, the driver had put things in order, just before the soldiers messed things up again.

15:00 Huwwara

When we arrived, there was a 16-year-old minor who had been held in solitary confinement for an hour and a quarter. He doesn't have an ID. We called the IDF Humanitarian Centre. About 10 minutes later a soldier goes to let the young man out.

The DCO representative, R., tells the soldier that the minor is waiting for a family member; he warns the soldier that if the minor is released, he will "infiltrate, and you are creating a problem".  The young man is released and continues on his way; he's not returned to Nablus.

The three lines aren't long. The waiting time is about half an hour, according to three men we speak to. "Today the checkpoint is good," some students tell us. The men have to remove their belts before they pass through, under the metal detector; some have to lift their shirts and turn around; a small metal detector is passed over their bodies, they have to stretch their arms out to their sides; all this is in addition to the regular metal detector. Bags are checked, ID's are checked. Some of the men must take their bags over to the x-ray vehicle on the other side of the checkpoint. Older men and women are in a separate line and pass through the small side entrance.

There are new soldiers stationed here - from the Givati Brigade - and the checkpoint now has purple flags on it. They are not fighting for "a clean area" on the side that is farther from Nablus. The men stop here, straighten their clothing, return things to their bags. The women are allowed to wait for their husbands or sons who are coming through the regular lines, the slower lines. There is even a chair here; some of the women even use it. As a rule, the checkpoint is relatively relaxed.

Vehicle traffic - ID's and permits are being checked on vehicles entering Nablus. Passage is quick, there are no traffic jams. An ambulance, with its siren blaring, is stopped for a moment, in order to check its documents. I must mention that it was on its way to Nablus, not into the "legitimate" state of Israel.
The traffic heading out of Nablus is being checked in the familiar way (the driver approaches the checkpoint by himself, the passengers continue on foot.  The vehicle is checked, the passengers - carrying their bags - are sent over to the x-ray vehicle; after the passengers' ID's have been checked, they are allowed to continue on their way.)  Riva and Noa measured the length of time it took to undergo a vehicle check:  for a big cab it took 10 minutes; for a small cab, 3 minutes; neither of these measurements took into account the time the cab spent waiting in line for its turn to be checked.

Sights from the checkpoint - a month-old baby, wrapped in a blanket; the first boy after 4 girls, his uncle tells us.  Students, books in hand, on their way home, stop to talk to us for a minute. An older woman, tired, sits down heavily on the chair, asks for some water.

16:50  -  Za'tar (Tapuach) 
The checkpoint is empty from the south, we counted 25 vehicles waiting from the east.

Translation: Ruth F.

Za'atara Junction
7:00- A bus was inspected. All the passengers were taken off and checked after a thorough inspection of the bus was preformed.
 

Beit Furik

7:15- The parking lot was full of cars. All the buses were standing in line, waiting for a signal from the soldier that they should move forward and reach the inspection post. The drivers complained about the time they wasted waiting each day, in the morning and in the evening, while making their way to Nablus and back again. These are the hours in which the rage is planted.
A phone call to the DCL had woken a sleepy voice that said it would try to make some inquiries. As if there was something new going on. A part for us, the new ones, everything was as usual, according to what the Palestinians that waited and waited, said. 

A couple of hundred meters from the road, in the direction of Alon Moree, we spoke to a shepherd from Salem that was with his herd in a field in which a ditch and a mound of dirt blocked the way, defining a new border in the field.
Back to the checkpoint: It's inconceivable that people have to stand, day after day, in the morning and in the evening, for hours, waiting to reach their destination which is only a foot step away.

Huwwara
8:15- As soon as we arrived, a woman told us about her 18 year old son that was arrested by the solders at the inspection post. She was standing there, waiting with her other son that they release him. We tried asking the soldiers that said he was being investigated and that it would take some time. She waited. S. that was with us, tried encouraging her. Eventually he was released and sent on his way.

Two soldiers had informed us that we passed the white line. I said that according to what we know there is no white line, that is what the court ruled (right?). A call to the police. In the meanwhile, from where we stood (from which it was very hard to see) we heard a soldier singing (Avadim Haiinu...) loudly, the soldiers and managers laughed patronizingly, and we saw the people coming out fixing themselves so that they could head on... a belt, trousers and shoes. And S., explained to us like a narrator in a movie about hard feelings of those passing in the lane. And it went on until we left. There weren't any long lines, there was much sorrow, cruelty and rage. 

Translation: Rachel B.

Despair.

It is the memorial day for Arafat. 150 buses are supposed to arrive for the memorial service in Ramallah. 
For some of them at least, and for the people coming from the northern area of the West Bank to Ramallah for work or other reasons, it will be a  torturous journey.

Ariel Junction; 7:30 AM

A Palestinian leading a donkey  loaded with hay and plastic jugs, coming from the east side of Ariel.  For some reason the soldiers stationed there prevent him from going through.

Za'tra Checkpoint; 7:40 AM

There are about 20 cars waiting at the approach from west to east.  A few cars are waiting at the north-south direction.  A bus is inspected.  The passengers who had gotten off the bus say that they have already been waiting there for a half hour.

7:50 AM - The bus is released and a second bus arrives and stops for inspection.  The passengers are made to get off the bus and place their luggage at a distance from where they stand.  The soldiers inspect all the luggage manually while the Palestinians watch them rummage through their things.  They are furious and some of them unburden themselves of their anger to us.  They tell us that they had started their trip at 6:00 AM  and were checked at Huwwara and Yitzhar Junction.  At both previous checkpoints they were also required to get off the bus with all their luggage.  They say they spent a half an hour at Huwwara and a half an hour at Yitzhar Junction.  One of the passengers says: "They have eradicates all traces of our humanity. When I get back home, what am I going to tell my children?  Should I tell them what I have been through? Then they'll hate you!"  When the soldiers finish their inspections of the luggage they start checking all the passengers with a metal detector.  The distance between Huwwara and Za'tra is 10 kilometers. 

Within 10 kilometers these passengers have been inspected 3 times!

We call the IDF Humanitarian Center regarding these repeated inspections of the buses. 
A. from the Humanitarian Center promises to look into it.

The line for people heading south is growing longer.  A taxi that according to the soldiers " cut in line" is forced to return to the back of the line. Another taxi transporting female teachers is accused of cutting in line as well.  The driver begs the soldiers {to be lenient with him} and promises not to do it again.  It's painful to watch the driver pleading with the soldiers who are half his age.  The pleading seems to  work and he "only" has to wait in the parking lot until the soldiers decide that he has "served his time."

8:20 AM - A taxi arrives transporting a sick girl to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. She is not feeling well.  The passengers' ID cards are taken for inspection and the driver asks us to expedite the process. 
We approach the checking position. At that moment a female settler passes through the checkpoint with the usual motto: "You are interfering with the soldiers {doing the duty}."  When she receives no reply from me, she addresses the soldier in a bossy tone: "She is interfering with you.  Tell her to go away."  The soldier answers that I am not in his way. She has no choice but to leave.

8:30 AM - The checkpoint commander speeds up the process of returning the ID cards to the taxi passengers with the sick girl (it took a while to find out where the ID cards are).  The taxi leaves the checkpoint, as does the taxi with the teachers.

8:35 AM - The bus is still there.  The last passengers board. (they spent 45 minutes waiting).  We leave the checkpoint.  On our way we count 85 vehicles waiting in line.  We lodge a complaint about this with the Humanitarian Center.

Burin/Yitzhar Junction; 8:40 AM

There are 2 buses and 2 taxis on location, being checked.  The passengers are outside the vehicles and say they have been waiting for a half an hour.  We approach the soldiers who are sitting in a Jeep and ask them why the passengers are being checked here again, after they had just been checked through at Huwwara and are due for another inspection at Za'tra. 
One of them explains to us that this is irrelevant.  They are from the Border Police , not the IDF. and their inspection is a "spot check."  The other one suggests sarcastically that is this bothers us, we can join the Palestinians.

9:10 AM - The inspection was completed and the Border Police left the area, as did we.

Beit Fureik; 9:20 AM

There are 8 cars waiting and a handful of pedestrians at the turnstiles.  We did not stay there. We left and went on.

Huwwara 9:30 AM

There are about 40 people at the checkpoint. Two positions are operating.  A bus is checked.  A beigele (large soft pretzel) seller tells us that yesterday the soldiers beat him up and today he was forbidden to sell his wares.  Later on in our shift he talks to the checkpoint commander for a long time.  At this point, he says, he does not need us to intervene.

10:20 AM - A thirds position is opened.

10:25 AM - Captain T. arrives with the representative of the District Coordination Office.  We talk to him to protest the repeated inspections.  He claims that they have coordinated with the Za'tra checkpoint not to repeat the inspections conducted at Huwwara.  He calls over there and asks why they are repeating the inspections.  At the Za'tra checkpoint they tell him that "it's OK."

A settler arrives and carries on at the checkpoint as if he is at home.  Of course, there are no "red lines" (i.e. a white painted line) for him. He chums around with the soldiers.  We hear him talking about cookies to be delivered to the soldiers this Friday, or maybe the following Friday.  He glances in our direction and leaves.

10:40 A - We leave the checkpoint.

Za'tra;11:20 AM

There are 17 vehicles in line approaching from the south.  There is a bus in the line.  We approach the soldiers and ask why the bus is waiting in the line {with all the other vehicles} since T, the District Coordination Office Commander, had instructed them not to detain the buses going to Ramallah that had already been checked at Huwwara.  The answer is that 99% of the buses arriving at this hour are not going to Ramallah. When I say that he can ask the bus driver where he is going, he does not respond. 
We wait and then the bus is directed to the bus inspection area and it turns out that it is heading to Ramallah and was, indeed, already inspected at Huwwara.  Unfortunately, we do not have T.'s phone number and therefore cannot call him, so we call the District Coordination Office.  They promise - how predictable - to look into it.  We also call Naomi who lodges a complaint with the Deputy Security Office staff.

11:20 AM - We leave the area, silenced.

Our tremendous frustration raises questions again about the reasons for this policy towards the Palestinians and sharpens the conclusions I have already come to:

1. {And this is the least grave conclusion, and it's a pretty bad one...} Those who determine the policies have no idea what is happening on the ground.
2. Those who determine the policies have no long-term plan and are not aware of the enormous damage due to be visited on us from the explosion of the volcano we are creating within the hearts of the Palestinians by treating them this way.
3. This conclusion is so disturbing it is hard to put it into words and on paper: Those who determine the policies want an explosion, want terrorist attacks, in order to prove we have no partner {for negotiations and peace}.