Beit Furik

Translation: Tal H.

Heavy traffic Nablus bound for Nablus from Ramallah where many Palestinians took part in Arafat memorial events.

Sudden heavy rain seriously encumbered the long wait for checks in the endless queues, drenching passengers including small children and babies forced to stand in the downpour and wait until the military sniffer dog finished smearing mud on the taxi seat and drooling into their belongings.

14:55 - Tapuach Zaatara Jucntion Checkpoint

Empty of cars coming from the west. About10 cars coming from Nablus.

Yitzhar Huwwara Road Junctino Checkpoint - unmanned.

15:00 Huwwara Checkpoint

We asked a lieutenant looking very much like the commander in charge as soon as we arrived whether he was indeed the checkpoint commander (so we'd know who to seek when necessary...) and he answered us, his face devoid of any expression - that officer over there, T.
But T. - we know - is the DCO representative on duty...

At the end of our shift we found out that the clever lieutenant's name is E., and he was indeed the Checkpoint Commander.

Note his response was about 2 seconds after we arrived, unprovoked, before we even made our presence a fact. Delicate hostility. Under the radar screen.

The checkpoint bustles with Palestinians returning from Ramallah in numerous buses, let through relatively fast without much ado. The special side line for women moves rather fast too. 3 active checking posts and the usual full to bursting lines of men waiting, pressured and slow.

A raging young man comes out and says to us: "One get to start hating oneself after standing in those lines of theirs, for sheer nerves. Really!"

15:30 - Three young men in standard ultra-orthodox garb (Black suits, white shirts, black wide-brimmed Yeshiva boy hats) hang out at the checkpoint: take each other's pictures with the soldier checking vehicles and more soldiers near the shack, then  enter the heart of the checkpoint compound where only soldiers are allowed, and feel very much at home, take pictures with soldiers at the side line gate for women and the elderly (!), many minutes until one of the soldiers orders them away.

16:00 - Rain begins to fall just as the X-ray truck retires and the army sniffer dog and its lady trainer take its place. The many cars usual for this time of day leaving the city now go through the standard dog checks withal the mud and drooling on seats and belongings involved.

The rain becomes a downpour, literally torrential, and the checks proceed as usual:

a taxi van lets out its passengers, including tiny children, out into the downpour about 20 meters from the checking soldier and dog. And they stand and stand and stand and stand and stand for ages far from any shelter, until signaled to board the vehicle and drive off.

A tiny, banal horror. Under the radar screen. Far from the view-finders of press cameras and television anchormen.

A fabrics merchant from Urif stands next to us in the shack and looks dismayed at his goods - a whole load of cloth in the porter's cart that has been waiting for half an hour in the pouring rain for the dog check. What kind of wares is that going to be.

A small moment. Under the radar screen.

17:00 Beit Furik checkpoint

A long waiting line of cars coming out of Nablus. Loud nervous soldiers. We stand behind the turnstiles, far from the checking post. Far from the soldiers. Still they approach us and announce unequivocally that until we move back behind the new white line painted fresh outside the checkpoint compound, they will not let anyone else through. We notified the army hotline about this, as well as our colleagues at home, and left.

Back to Huwwara - where people were still exiting the town. The rain was back to a drizzle. Less drama.

We note that DCO representative lieutenant T. was visibly present and active throughout our shift, friendly and accessible to people and helpful whenever he was called upon to solve problems.

We left past 17:30.
 
It was dark, rainy and depressing. Under the radar screen.

Translation:  Suzanne O.  

At Beit Furiq they announced that the ‘white line’ is about 20 metres from the checkpoint.  Our presence there was meaningless.

 
Za’atra 
8:45 a.m.   

There are very few cars.  Yitzhar is not staffed in either direction.  

Beit Furiq 
9:00 a.m.   

Immediately we approached the roadblock a soldier came over to us, pointed at the entrance to the inspection lane and proclaimed: “This is the new white line on the orders of the Brigade C.O.!”  He spoke and left.   

At the entrance to the inspection lane large plastic road barriers have been set up, i.e.: whoever comes from the direction of Beit Furiq has to jump over them or manoeuvre their way round them.  We are about 20 metres from the checkpoints and there is no way we can see what is happening there. 

A car on its way to the exit from Nablus is held up for a long time and then turns round and goes back to Nablus.  Why? 

As a joke, apparently, one of the soldiers dazzles us with a mirror which catches the rays of the sun. There are very few cars waiting in either direction.  

Awarta 

9:20 a.m.  . 

Empty.  

Huwwara 

9:30 a.m.   

A taxi driver comes over to us in the car park and gives us a document written in Arabic.  The document was hanging on the roadblock and informs the public of the Government’s intention to confiscate lands around the roadblock. Those who are affected are invited to present their objections on Sunday.  The driver, one of the owners, says he won’t even bother.  He shows me the name of the MachsomWatch woman Naomi Levita who asked him to pass the document to her, via another shift.  As I was unable to get hold of her on the telephone, I attached a scan of the document to the report.  

The traffic is light most of the time.  When it builds up an additional lane is opened (after finally finding someone who knows the secret code).  The dog handler and the x-ray machine are present – the whole arsenal.  They ensure we stay behind the sacred white line.  A woman with her head covered joins us.  Not one of the usual, violent characters we have met.  She monitors us but does not make contact.  

On the way back Yitzhar is not staffed and Za’atra is empty.  

Natanya translating.

14.00 The entrance to Zeita is closed by cement blocks.
 

14.05 Za'tara  
From the West the passage is clear but from the north, from Nablus 75 cars wait . We informed the centre and N. that said that he would phone the DCO in Nablus to find out why there was such pressure.

14.10 Yitzhar   Empty.

14.15 Beit Furik.   We had a meeting here with a Palestinian woman who had been a witness in the morning to the detaining of another woman. One of the soldiers had returned her ID and at once taken it back as if playing a game and when the woman got annoyed she was punished by being detained.  The woman whom she had been going to meet  described what happened and the soldier apologised and so the matter ended. 

While we were standing next to the turnstiles we saw that there was no pressure at the pedestrian lane but that in the car lane coming from Nablus there was a long line. Only one checking area as one sees always at Beit Furik. Even though there was no pressure of pedestrians there were three soldiers checking there while only two were checking the cars very slowly and carefully.

14.30 We saw that since we had arrived a thin man had been standing next to the checkpoint and not moving from there. We were told by someone that he was "not right in his head". We then spoke to the commander who had come to speak to us and he noticing this and ordered the man to go home.

A Palestinian from Beit Furik arrived with a box with vegetables, sorted out by kind and in plastic coverings. He could not get it through the turnstiles and so asked to take it through an open lane but instead he was ordered to put the box down on the ground and bring each parcel separately for checking.

14.45 We spoke to G. at the centre about the pressure of cars and again at 15.00 about the same matter.

15.25 Checkpoint Huwwara. 2 detainees in the isolation. One was freed by the DCO captain and the other whose number had appeared on the list was no longer there when we checked at 16.40.The man who was freed said he had been punished because of speaking in Arabic to his friend in the line complaining about the checkpoint. A soldier who understood Arabic was angry and said that he would show him how hard life could be and that if he wanted to, he could also demand that he sing and then sent him to the isolation.

3 checking areas were manned by military police who demanded the raising or lowering of clothing and checked IDs and bags. A humanitarian line, very busy today with students on their way home.

An activist of the Ecumenical movement is there with two guests who live in the same entrance in Jerusalem  and tells us about a man ( who  maybe, had an epileptic fit or something like that) and who had lost consciousness. The activist called the soldiers and heard them summoning an ambulance and had seated the man on a chair. Afterwards his friends had carried him behind the humanitarian area. A car had come from Huwwara and a doctor to examine the man. The doctor told us there was no cause for alarm and some time later the man supported by his friends went to the parking lot.
 

Checkpoint Za'tara.  3 checking areas for cars coming from Nablus. 36 cars in both directions.
 

17.03 Marda. The lone house  and its windows covered in camoflague. 2 Hummers with blinking lights.

Translation:  Suzanne O.

At the entrance to Zeita there is a barrier and a Hammer jeep with soldiers at the side of the road.

Za'atra Junction - Tapuach

7:45 a.m. 

There are never ending queues from the direction of Huwwara, in the region of 50 cars.  The inspection of each car takes 3 - 4 minutes, but from the moment a car arrives at the roadblock until it leaves it takes about 30 - 40 minutes.

Huwwara

8:30 a.m. 

The three turnstiles are working.  The traffic flows.

Beit Furiq

9:30 a.m. 

The traffic of pedestrians and cars is light.  There is a new commander from the Givati Brigade, he came to the roadblock yesterday.  He reported that he has been at the roadblock for 16 hours straight.  A detainee who was caught along the fence was brought in by the patrol 20 minutes before we arrived, "apparently he went to pick olives where he shouldn't".  The man looks to be in his 50's or 60's.  We understood from the commander that he would be punished for six hours, when we asked whether it is permitted to hold someone for more than three hours; the roadblock commander informed us that with a special permit they can hold someone for six hours.

10:00 a.m.

Back to Huwwara, no change.

Three occupation stories:

A young man, very thin and pale, from one of the buses which was stopped at Za'atra, came over to us.  He showed us an appointment for Ichilov Hospital at 11:00 a.m.  The time was 8:00 a.m., he had already been through two roadblocks, and he is not sure how many more there are on the way.  He has to get to Ramallah to get a permit from the Authority for his hospital appointment and to get to Ichilov by 11:00 a.m.  It was simple to work out that he is not going to get to Ichilov today.

At Za'atra Junction again, the queue of cars was unbearable, a minibus driver taking teachers from Nablus to Ramallah was in a hurry to get the teachers to their destination and they were already late because of the roadblocks.  He drove along the Jewish road and approached the soldiers.  Behind him on the road was a Hammer jeep containing an NCO - a regular soldier.  The soldier alighted from the jeep, ran, with his weapon at the ready, right up to the driver's seat, opened the driver's door, and pointed it at him while screaming salacious curses.  He took away the driver's I.D. card and sent him to the end of the queue.

Huwwara - a man of about 50 approached us asking for help.  He is from Jenin. About 20 years ago he married an Israeli woman who lives in Tiberias with their two children .  She is a nurse in Poria hospital.  The father is not permitted to enter Israel and for many years has not visited his children at their home.  He approached a lawyer for help who managed to get him a one-off permit to visit Israel, since then a number of years have passed and none of his attempts to get a permit have succeeded.

Huwwara - A driver comes over to us holding a piece of unofficial paper with Arabic handwriting on it.  He reads what is written to us: that due to the need to enlarge the roadblock "private land belonging to residents near the roadblock will be appropriated". 

Of course, we tried to help in the three cases and to do whatever we were able.

Natanya translating.

14.20 Za'tara.
12 cars and the checking as swift and efficient.
25 cars from Nablus and two checking lanes. While we were there the checking speeded up but when we left there were again 20.

Buses are checked by the passengers alighting and having their IDs checked and then the bus is checked in the parking area and all this takes 15 minutes although there were only 10 passengers. The driver asks the soldier if it is possible to have a special lane for the buses who otherwise have to wait twice, once in the ordinary line and once for the second check. The soldier says that she is not the man who makes the orders and he should speak to the captain.  Tamar and Racheli did so but the captain said it was dangerous to do such a thing.

15.20 Huwwara.
Although it is Wednesday there are only about 100 people but the wait is long and the people angry. In the humanitarian line a young man kneels on his haunches and later we heard that he has been detained for about 3 hours. The soldiers say that they found bullets on him and are waiting for him to be taken away. When Tamar tries to get to him they take him to the isolation where he sits on the floor. S sergeant stands guard  and afterwards goes up to the Palestinians who are waiting and sends them off rudely. "Get the hell away from here...go." I think he did not want anyone within 50 metres of the man so as not to speak to him. In the end he gets fed up and goes off. I steal up and ask the young man why he is there but after the first question he refuses to answer anything else.  Is he scared or is a an act of honour? He wants nothing and will not say his name.

A group of photographers of OCHA want to phone and speak to H. on the phone and R. arrives and promised that he will get a permit in two minutes but by 16.00 no permit and they leave because in any case it is getting dark and they will not be able to photograph.

The young man guarded by three soldiers is taken to the toilet and the handcuffs taken off and put on again. I again try to speak to him but the commander sees me and takes him off to the area of the humanitarian line. Then a jeep came for him, he was blindfolded and taken away.

20 people get out of a minibus and stand about 30 metres away. All have baskets with blowers and holiday dress to a Hina celebration and 10 minutes later go on their way.

16.45 Beit Furik.  Few pedestrians and the soldiers stand and chat.

 But there are 9 cars coming from Nablus and the checking is slow but not hostile. Tamar suggests to the DCO captain , staff sergeant T. to open another lane and he does so at once.

17.10 We leave.

Translation:  Suzanne O.

There is no roadblock at the entrance to Marda; there are concrete blocks at the entrance to Zeita.

7:10 a.m.  There are roadblocks around Za'atra/Tapuach

There is a roadblock from the direction of Tulkarm to Jerusalem/Ramallah.

There are 9 cars, the crossing is swift, a young man who was detained and whose taxi did not wait for him is released some ten minutes later, and is forced to go and search for another taxi.

There is a roadblock in the direction of Nablus.

There is no separation.

There are 27 vehicles; the inspection and the crossing are speedy.

A bus was sent to the car park; all its passengers are taken off and sent back on again, they waited about ten minutes for their documents to be inspected.

There is no roadblock at Yitzhar Junction or at the top of the road; there are no military vehicles at the entrance to Beita.

Beit Furiq

7:30 a.m. 

There are about 30 vehicles waiting in the queue to enter Nablus and they descend the slope of the taxi car park one after the other to the area of the roadblock.  Drivers claim that they have been waiting since 6:15 a.m.

Many people arrive all the time at the pedestrian roadblock and they cross very quickly.

8:10 a.m.

A detainee is put in the lock-up.  The army claimed that he was caught when he tried to take the by pass via Salem to Nablus.  They said they would hold him for three hours but shortly after 10:00 a.m. he was released.

The roadblock commander explained that his people are new; therefore, vehicles cross very slowly as they are teaching them how to make inspections.

He agreed to our request to open two lanes for a while (one for those entering, the other for those leaving) and also to permit, when no cars are leaving Nablus, the second lane to be used for cars entering as well.  In this way, and after the soldier being trained began to work a bit faster, the lengthening queue was considerably shorter within 20 minutes.  A car inspection, which had previously taken up to 4 - 5 minutes, was reduced later to about 2 minutes.

Awarta

8:50 a.m. 

A queue of 10 cars waits to enter Nablus and one of almost 30 to leave.

Aimen from the DCO arrived; he spoke to the soldiers about opening an additional lane (i.e.: one in each direction) and also said that he would arrange to get reinforcements so that the crossing would be considerably quicker.

Huwwara

9:10 a.m. 

There is almost no queue of cars in either direction.  People leaving Nablus by taxi with cases carry them to the x-ray machine.  The dog handler with her muzzled dog was also there.  The dog was not used while we were there.

There are no detainees.

There are more than 30 pedestrians in the queue and the humanitarian queue was very slow.  The DCO representative, Tarek, explained that there are new people at this roadblock too and that is why the inspection is slow.  He acceded to our request and went to help the soldier in this queue and immediately the queue began to move and the whole queue moved more swiftly.

The car park is very full and crowded.

It was a hot day and in neither place did we see any water for the use of the Palestinians.

At both roadblocks, Beit Furiq and Huwwara - they were strict with us about the white line - the imaginary and the actual one.

Za'atra

10:10 a.m. 

There 8 cars, the crossing is quick, there are no buses.

We went to see if there was a roadblock at Kariah banei Hassan - there wasn't one.  (Mickey was informed in the morning by one of the drivers that there was a roadblock there in the early hours.)

Translation: Hanna K.
 

13:30 A shift consisting of four soldiers protects the hitch-hiking stop next to Ariel, being chummy with the settlers. They are still there at 17:00.

13:38 Zeita 
The entrance road is blocked. There is another road from Huwwara, but in order to reach it one has to pass the CP at the Za'tara Junction. "Do you have one of those in Tel Aviv too?" one of the men we met at the entrance to the village,  laughingly asks us.
 

13:42 Za'tara (Tapuah)
We counted one vehicle at the east and about 15 vehicles at the south. The CP commander tells us that there are no passage restrictions. but there are alerts.

13:55 Burin (Yitzhar)
At the  junction  soldiers install  armoured glass at the three posts.

14:10 Beit Furik 
Most of the traffic at the CP - of pedestrians and of vehicles, moves in the direction of the exit from Nablus. The CP commander struts around with his gun on his one shoulder and held in his hand (not hanging limply on his shoulder) so that the barrel is directed at the passers-by. The people in the vehicles leaving Nablus have to leave the car, stand at the side and wait until the vehicle is being checked. The checking of the vehicles also includes the lifting of the engine cover.

14:45 Huwwara 
The three checking posts are active. When we arrive the queue is not long, at 15:20 the shed has become full. The men take off their belts before they pass under the metal detectors, some take off their shoes.
At 15:20, when the queue becomes long, they begin performing on some a corporal check that includes the lifting up of the shirt and turning around on the spot. Bags are being checked, ID cards are handed for checking. A number of the men are sent with their bags to the x-ray screening vehicle. They are obliged to jump over the low fence and cross the road to reach the vehicle. The waiting period is about an hour, according to the passers-by. Elderly men and women pass at a separate queue, by way of a side small gate. Three women are taken to the checking cell for women. Macky saw that they don't undergo a corporal checking, but are interrogated. The side of the CP that is distant from Nablus, is completely empty. Men do not stop  here anymore to  arrange their bags after the checking, or to string the belt back onto the trousers. Women do not wait in the shed for their husbands. During the last weeks we were witness to a very harsh struggle of the soldiers against the Palestinians in this region of the CP and today we witness their success.

Vehicle movement - at the entrance to Nablus IDs and permits are checked. The queue usually moves quickly along, but even so traffic jams of 7-10 cars happen from time to time. A doctor, in a Red Crescent vehicle was detained for a few minutes. The DCO shouted at him very rudely and the doctor was obliged to make a u-turn. The entrance to Nablus was forbidden to him. An ambulance, on its way to Nablus, an emergency case with a siren, waited for 2 minutes until it was allowed to drive on.

At the exit from the town the queue is long. When the soldier signals with his hand, a small gesture signifying "come here", the driver approaches the CP, stops at a certain distance from it, the passengers alight and continue on foot. The driver alone approaches the CP, the vehicle is being checked, the passengers are sent with their bags to the x-ray screening vehicle, and after the passengers' IDs are checked, they are allowed to continue on their way. The duration of the check itself is about 3-4 minutes, not including the waiting time at the traffic jams until the checking posts are reached.

Men who went on the but at 14:45 told us that they had been waiting for it since 12:00.

An inhabitant of Ramallah was detained for an hour and a half because he drove on the apartheid road. How often shall we repeat this - the driver is not a local and there is no signposting forbidding the use of the road. Does he have to guess?

One of the taxi drivers told us about a disorder at Balata - the Palestinian police forces are now acting in the refugee camp.

16:45 Za'tara (Tapuah)
We counted 5 vehicles waiting in the south, 3 in the east.

Translation:  Suzanne O.

Za'atra Junction 

8:00 a.m.

There are four cars in the queue from the west.

There are no cars waiting from the direction of Nablus.

Beit Furiq roadblock

8:20 a.m. 

There are four cars in the queue.

Very few people cross.

Huwwara roadblock

8:40 a.m. 

There are some 50 - 60 people in the shed.

There are three checkpoints and three queues.  One of those crossing complained that the middle position did not function for about half an hour and the whole middle queue was forced to wait until it was re-staffed (this situation will be repeated later on).

9:30 a.m.

A Palestinian asked for our help:  his friend, whose documents were taken away from him on 28 October at the Tulkarm roadblock, has been given an appointment at Huwwara DCO in respect of the matter.  However, because he has no documents he is not allowed to cross.  We approached T., the DCO representative and, with his aid, the matter was resolved and the man was permitted to cross.

The Military Policewoman at the centre position left again and, as already noted, the middle queue was brought to a standstill.  Edna approached the roadblock commander (with whom until now, in spite of the fact that we had gone over to him, we were unable to communicate) and he stated that the policewoman had gone to check something regarding a Palestinian who was crossing, and that we are just interrupting their work and so on and so on.  He sent us to stand behind the distant white line.  We refused.  A short time later he appeared in the company of the Military Policewoman and claimed that this is the third time he had demanded that we withdraw to the distant line, and if we do not the policewoman with him will drag us by force because he "does not touch women", and of course while the policewoman is busy with us she cannot move the queue and so, again, the Palestinians are the hostages in the argument with us and because of that - we give in.

10:10 a.m.

A man who crossed after a long wait in the queue complained to us:  he had surgery a month and a half ago and he has a hospital appointment in Ramallah at 10:30 a.m.  He tried to explain this to the soldier but he sent him away and did not even permit him to speak to the roadblock commander, therefore he is late and may miss his appointment.  The man is resentful (and rightly so) and wonders whom he can approach, whom he can lay a claim against (ha, ha) and why is it we can't help (and we aren't able even to begin to help, since he is at the end of the queue at the other side of the roadblock and we are unable to move).

10:30 a.m.

A loud argument with a lot of shouting goes on between the Military Policewoman and another soldier.  I heard the same policewoman previously ordering a Palestinian to "shut up!".

Summary

Our visit to the roadblock is never a picnic but today it was particularly infuriating and annoying.  Once again we realise that the roadblock commander is key to the atmosphere and running of the roadblock.

Translation: Rachel B.

The whole system is on alert in preparation for the visit by the members of the Knesset Security & Foreign Relations Committee.

6:45 AM - A phone call from Naomi: at Huwwara soldiers beat up Nizar, the son of Nu'af who owns the coffee stall.  By chance, Zachariah Sa'ada was there, on his way to Jerusalem, and he captured the incident on video and also tried to intervene but then retreated when the violence was directed at him, in order not to risk another arrest.

Za'atra: 7:15 AM

There are 20 cars approaching from the west and none from the north.

Huwwara: 7:30 AM

The coffee stall is operating but we are told about the incident.  Nizar tells us that soldier A. threw him against the bus parked in the lot and that he sustained an injury to his head.  Apparently this incident was not any more violent or severe than the "usual" abuse suffered by his family, but unluckily for the soldier, this time it is documented on film and the District Coordination Office officer T. says that it will be {properly} addressed. Zachariah calls to tell us that the District Coordination Office commander already called him to request a copy of the video. 

Nevertheless, after about a quarter of an hour the Palestinians call us over and we see 3 soldiers approaching Nu'af and demanding that he dismantle his coffee stall and leave the area.

The District Coordination Office commander says that he reported the situation but does not have the authority to annul the order of the checkpoint commander.  His {the checkpoint commander} official explanation is that the parking lot is a military area (?!)

Throughout this whole time there are about 10 people waiting on the western approach to the turnstiles and no cars in line.

Beit Fureik 9:00 AM

Surprise!  The soldiers receive us warmly.

There are 2 positions open for processing cars.  There are no lines for either cars or pedestrians. 

When we arrive at the place, we see a young man with severe mental retardation, accompanied by his mother and grandmother.  It turns out that the young man ran through the checkpoint and his mother ran after him to bring him back though she did not have an ID card on her.  The soldier is requiring the mother to go back to the village and bring her ID card.  In the end, with the aid of Edna mediating in Arabic, the soldier relents and lets them go home without {returning and} presenting an ID card.

In the parking lot a 14 year guy approaches us with his birth certificate which bears his pictures.  He tells us that he tried to enter Nablus but was turned away because he was not accompanied by his parents.  He says that his father has died and his mother is waiting for him in Nablus. He has a copy of his mother's ID card.  Edna convinces him to try to resolve the situation with our help. After an initially refusing, the soldiers are willing to check by phone if the identifying information in his documents is correct, including the claim that his father has died.  They then let him through anyway, without his mother's chaperoning.

Huwwara 9:45 AM

Back to Huwwara. Behind the turnstiles are about 40-50 people.  The wait is about half an hour.  Even though there are numerous soldiers at the checkpoint (who seem to have plenty of time to get into arguments with us), only 2 stations are open beside the "humanitarian" line.  After a request to the District Coordination Office, at 10:40 AM, an additional station is opened.

The District Coordination Office commander, Lieutenant R., arrives and handles the problem of reopening the coffee stall.  This "war" between the District Coordination Office and the checkpoint commander succeeded today and Nu'af has returned with his stall.

At 11:00 AM we had to leave.  See the continuation in the report by Hannah Berg!!

  Translation: Rachel B.

Summary: A lot of pressure at Za'tara, the usual scene at Huwwara, 2 detainees held for punishment, orders prohibiting us from standing at the checkpoint area at Beit Fureik.

Beita 7:00 AM

The entrance is closed.  Vehicles are scattered on the side of the road.

Za'tara -Tapu'ach Junction 7:10 AM

More than 30 vehicles are waiting in the line coming form the north.  We called the DCO twice asking for assistance.  The checking through at the location went along very slowly.

Yitzhar Junction: open in all directions.

Huwwara: 7:30 AM

When we arrived we saw a small group of people (10-15) in the pedestrian lane. Two stations were open for processing plus a "humanitarian" line.

In the vehicle lanes: from the southern direction- empty.  An ambulance with its siren blaring arrived very fast and was not stopped.  From the north there are a few cars waiting for short periods. This was the case throughout our stay here.

The checking through went on smoothly and quietly.  The office in charge, N., is up on everything and answers questions politely and is responsive to our requests.  There is also a representative of the District Coordination Office on hand, T., who takes care of the situation of a young man who has lost his ID card.  Lo and behold!  The ID card was found.

The parking lot is very full and very dirty.  The area of the checkpoint is clean.

Beit Fureik: 8:45 AM

At this hour the traffic is fairly heavy, both pedestrians and cars. But there are no particular delays in checking people through, except for one truck which was waiting on the side when we arrived and was only released at 9:12 AM, after examination of the driver's identification documents. 

The army unit on location prevented us from getting close to the checkpoint area and the turnstiles, citing security concerns, which seemed rather doubtful.  We called the District Coordination Office and were told that they are aware of this but do not have the authority to change this policy. Only the Battalion Commander and/or the Brigade Commander do. 

The Deputy Company Commander arrived.  We took advantage of the opportunity and had a thorough conversation with him and asked him to work to change this policy{of preventing us from entering the checkpoint area} after giving him background information about our organization, our philosophy, the nature of our work and the importance of a civilian eye watching over the army for a democratic country and for Israel's reputation in the world.  The conversation was carried out in a friendly spirit and he listened carefully.  It ended with his promise to pass along our request and have it looked into.  We gave him a MachsomWatch business card and recommended to him that he visit our website.

Huwwara: 9:40 AM

Normal traffic without any particular pressure. Relatively low flow of cars in either direction.  At this hour, only one position is open for checking pedestrians through plus, in addition, a humanitarian line.  A young man who speaks Hebrew approaches us. His request for an entry permit in order to go to the hospital with his son has been denied once.  He was told to come back to the District Coordination Office.  We advised him to go back to the District Coordination Office and gave him Sylvia's phone number in case he is refused the permit again this time.

9:55 AM:  There are 2 detainees who were put in the holding pen by a soldier staffing the checkpoint in order to punish them and with the threat that they will be held there overnight.  Dalia managed to figure out what had happened: the two men had been fighting - apparently about their place in the line.  The soldier decided that they are interfering with his work.  We requested intervention by the District Coordination Office representative and also asked the checkpoint commander {to address this}.

10:10 AM: We left the checkpoint when the two men were released.

Za'atra - Tapu'ach Junction

Fewer than 20 cars in the line from the north. A slight improvement.

The end!