Hamra (Beqaot)

Translation: Bracha B.A.

Bezek Junction 15:30

We passed through and no one paid much attention to us.  The view is spectacular and the mountains on the other side of the Jordan are lit up from the west.

15:45 – On the way to Tayasir Checkpoint

The entire area northeast of the checkpoint is filled with military activity and shooting that sounds like an exercise.

16:00 – Tayasir Checkpoint

The shooting continues. The old torn flag has been replaced with a new one that is waving proudly.  We photograph the large D9 tractor standing east of the checkpoint and a young second lieutenant asks us to stand away from the position and not to photograph the military zone. We stand in our usual position.  There is a lot of traffic.  Taxis, private cars and tenders are going through in both directions.  The soldiers here are new and are checking cars meticulously as only new soldiers have the patience to do.  All vehicles going towards Area A (towards Tayasir) are checked and IDs of all the passengers are checked.  The doors of vehicles going the other way are opened as well as glove compartments, hoods, and boots.  We haven't seen such meticulous inspections here in a long time. The electronic arm constantly goes up and down. Since it is controlled from inside the booth, the soldier in charge has to go in each time to operate it, wasting even more of the Palestinians' time.  Meanwhile the young officer is giving instructions for some sort of exercise over the phone. Pedestrians had to approach the turnstile one by one.  The officer deliberated whether a parent carrying a child also has to go through one by one. He is then reprimanded for allowing a small bag with papers to pass through without being checked.  Belts that make the machine beep are removed and then returned afterwards. Passengers from the taxi go through in ten to fifteen minutes.  One of the drivers says that it takes an hour to go from Bardala to Tayasir.     

16:45 – We were about to leave when an army tender with the words "Seamline Barrier Maintenance Team" arrived.  A soldier got out and climbed onto the D9 and followed the tender towards Area A where Israelis are not permitted to travel.  We hope they are not going on a house demolition assignment.  The noise of shooting continues.  We left at 17:00.

Other groups of soldiers are present along the road.  Evening is falling and cows are grazing along the road.

17:10 Alon Road beneath the Settlement of Shchiya

There are two donkeys on the road. There are settlers with kippot and fringes and army uniforms around them and a car with their friends alongside.  They recognize us as "two leftists."  They are heading towards the encampment to ask if the donkeys belong to them.  They are theirs.  They were taken from their grandfather a few months ago, maybe a year ago.  We stayed for tea and then continued on to the Hamra Checkpoint.

17:45 – Hamra Checkpoint

The dark road is suddenly lit up at the checkpoint and the passage is delayed because of our presence. There is also heavy traffic here especially towards Tubas in the West Bank.  There is a new flag of the Kfir Brigade flying in the middle of the road.  The vehicle with the X-ray machine is no longer there. The commanding officer asks us to leave.  He says that a Machsom Watch shift was forced to leave by the police.    (Is that true?) We remained. After 15 minutes we understood that the soldiers were not letting anyone through and were sitting and doing nothing.   The lineup of cars from the east grows longer and we understand that they are doing this because of us.  We phone the Liaison and Coordination Administration and were told to call the headquarters.  At first there was no answer and then they said they would deal with the problem.  They did not.  As we left they began to let people through and soon there was no one else waiting.  We apologized to the people in the line who had to wait for a quarter of an hour.  Pedestrians then began to go through and some took interest in our tags and greeted us.

We left at 18:45.

18:40 – Bezek

How are you?  Fine thanks.

Translator:  Charles K.

Most of the shift was devoted to filming an interview with F. for the film we’re making on the Jordan Valley.

A summary of his story will appear at the end of this report, because it’s the tale of the Jordan Valley.

11:10  Ma’aleh Efra’im

No soldiers at the checkpoint, although many young settlers are hanging around inside, sitting in the soldiers’ booth and demonstrating they’re in charge here.

11:50 Hamra checkpoint

People cross on foot, exiting holding their belts.  A young man approaches complaining his wife and infant daughter aren’t being allowed through; she was sent back to Nablus.  Before we were able to do anything, they came through.  The soldiers’ water tank is still in the shed erected for the waiting Palestinians.  They, of course, wait in the burning sun for their cars to be inspected.

The checkpoint commander tells us to move back to the junction (about 100 meters from the checkpoint).  We refuse and remain where usually stand.  Hecloses the checkpoint (life stops).  After a line of 18 cars forms to the west (from the West Bank, coming into the Jordan Valley) we decide to leave.  We complained to the legal advisor.

13:30– We receive a phone call telling us that a member of the Palestinian Hadidya family was stopped this morning near the ditches that divide the Jordan Valley from the West Bank.  The man had come to the Guchya gate, which is supposed to be open three times a week so Palestinians could cross, and waited until 8:30, but the army didn’t arrive to open the gate.  Recently the gate often hasn’t opened at all, so he apparently looked for another way to continue.  He was detained until 15:15 at theTayasir checkpoint, as punishment.

Why does it take such a long time?

The man was checked and found to be kosher.  The tractor is “still being checked.”

F’s story

Members of F.’s family are the registered owners of 248 dunums of land on both sides of the road to the Tayasir checkpoint, about one kilometer to the east.  They’ve lived there forever, raised vegetables and kept sheep.  After the area was captured in 1967, the army began training on the family’s land, as it does throughout the Jordan Valley.  The family’s land became a playground for firing and artillery practice, bullets and mines lay on the ground, shots flew above the heads of the children and the family had no peace.  In 1979 F.’s 14-year old brother was killed by an artillery shell.  A mine was left on the family’s land.  The parents gave up and decided to leave so that the other children wouldn’t be hurt.  They moved to the village of Aqaba – about one kilometer west of the checkpoint, and settled there, but continued to work their land.  They rode their donkeys there daily.  When the intifada erupted in 2000 the checkpoint was closed, and later everyone living west of the checkpoint was forbidden to enter the Jordan Valley.  The family could no longer reach and cultivate its land.  The army used the opportunity to take over the land and, later, when the family asked to cultivate it again the army refused to allow it to enter the area at all, claiming it was a training site.

We were on the outskirts of the area.  F. didn’t dare go in for fear of mines and firing.  Where we stood we found parts of artillery shells, live bullets, pipes with marks indicating they’d been shot at, empty boxes of bullets, etc. – a real battlefield.

Five years ago F. bought a small plot of land in el Farsiyaand began raising vegetables, and even planted olive trees.  He obtained water from a spring he leased from its Palestinian owner in Tayasir.  The spring is located about three kilometers from his new plot of land.  Two and a half years ago the army cut the water pipes, claiming that the spring is a nature preserve!  And that it’s forbidden to pump water from it.  The army sets the entire Jordan Valley on fire, but wherever a Palestinians wants to settle, or to make a living, becomes forbidden for one reason or another!

Having no choice, F. began drawing water from Wadi el Malih– a small channel that dries up in the summer, and whose water is very saline.  The water isn’t appropriate for most crops, so he grows what he can.  Lo and behold – that was also no good as far as the occupation regime is concerned.  In May of this year the army confiscated both the pumps which brought water to F.’s land, claiming this time that “You’re drying up the Sea of Galilee”!!

Since then, the land has been dry and barren.  Volunteers from the Jordan Valley Solidarity organization laid a narrow pipe from the Ein el Bida spring, hoping that he’d be able to grow crops again this year in greenhouses.  We can assume the army will find an excuse to prevent him from doing so.

Translator:  Charles K.

Bezeq checkpoint 13:10We passed through.  No one paid any attention to us. 

(Photo:  Biblical landscape, Jordan Valley)
  
13:30  TayasirWe went up to our observation point next to the soldiers’ position.  An officer used his cell phone to photograph a Palestinian man standing with his arms outstretched holding an opened ID card.  The officer faced the soldiers’ position, and the man faced us.  After he came through the revolving gate and the inspection we asked him why he was photographed; he shrugged and didn’t reply.  We didn’t have an opportunity to ask the 2^nd lieutenant.  He demanded IDs; it wasn’t enough to tell him we were from Machsom Watch.  We refused and he told us to leave because we were interfering with his work and it’s a closed military area.  We refused, because it isn’t!  It’s an open civilian area!  And all we’re doing is observing.  Again he asked for identification.  In response to our request that he identify himself, he said that he didn’t have his ID with him.  We gave him our standard speech about our right to stand near him.  We suggest he ask the DCO.  He continued to insist.  He ordered someone over the walkie-talkie or the phone to bring him his wallet, and from that moment on he was only hostile but no longer harassed us.

We heard many shots the entire time we were there!
A soldier cleans up and throws away the remains of lunch.  A tray is left for the cats.  Two bags of bread for the children returning from school, who fight over the bread (it’s hard to avoid the associations and the images so deeply inculcated in us).  After the children realize we won’t give them any money they run toward their waiting ride.  The vehicle this time is new and very spacious, compared to the small jalopy we’re used to seeing.  After the flood of children the officer takes time to inveigle to cat to eat.  From time to time he shouts “ta’al” to someone waiting at the entrance.  ID’s aren’t checked against the computer.  Sparse traffic on foot.
The walkie-talkie bursts forth: “How many Watch women are there at ???”  Reply: A pair.  Two Israel-haters standing over us.  Pass it on to One.  Roger.”A garbage truck followed by a refrigerator truck enter the base.  The officer looks through binoculars.  Discovers the flag is torn and must be replaced.  Officer to the road:  “The last three digits of the taxi?”  The road:  “Oh, that’s not what they said.”  Who are they waiting for?  Today we won’t get an answer.

14:15  We left.

West of the road to the Hamra checkpoint, where the signs say “Danger – firing range” next to the tents and the shepherds living in them, we see many soldiers in groups.  They’re drinking coffee or standing with their backs to the road.They’re resurfacing the road today also Stop/Go).  They’ve made good progress northward during the past two weeks.

News flash!  East of the road, on the ridge where the settlement of Maskiyot established itself, we can see new buildings being built.  Next to them a soldier and a car.  Today we’re impressed once again by the very healthy, very green orchard east of the road.  Israel is drying up, water is very limited for non-Jewish inhabitants, while here the settlers have orchards and vineyards…

14:35  Hamra checkpoint
Two people (non-Jews) clean the water conduit below the road.  A soldier watches over them.  A soldier and a female MP come over to tell us they’re concerned about our safety, and their checkpoint is closed to us.  They also have to understand that we’re not leaving and they’re wrong about who owns this place.  From the moment the discussion ends – we became irrelevant.  Five male and two female soldiers took a break for coffee, songs and jokes.  From time to time a male and female soldier came out to wave through people coming from the east (the Jordan Valley).  Those coming from the west (the West Bank) received slightly more serious attention.  The few people crossing on foot were happy to see us.  “Welcome to Palestine,” they called to us.

When we were ready to leave a brown Xsara arrived at the checkpoint from the west – Area A – with a yellow license plate that crossed and continued north.  We photographed it.  We’ve already run into Israelis drilling for water from Area A; perhaps that car was one of them.

15:50  We left.

On our way back we drove up to the settlement of Maskiyot.  They’re in fact building (photo).  At the entrance to the locality is a large, new public building, probably completed during the “building freeze.”  We didn’t enter the settlement because the gate was closed; it opens only for people it knows.

On the way to the Bezeq checkpoint we saw a huge D-9, clean, with barred windows, being transported on a semi-trailer.

15:50  Bezeq
The guard wants to know where we’ve come from.  We replied, and continued on our way.

Succoth Eve in Israel
Palestine under closure, no entry for Palestinians into Israel

Shaar Shomron Checkpoint
A van is detained exiting Israel, its passengers Palestinian. The license plates are Israeli.

Zaatara Checkpoint 11:06
Sparse vehicular traffic passing unchecked by the manned checking posts. The checkpoint fence serves as usual as a display case for settlers’ various posters. Today an armed soldier is seen at the small guardpost by the roundabout.

Maale Efrayim Checkpoint 11:20
No soldiers in sight. Roads nearly empty but for few vehicles with Israeli license plates, and army and police.

Hamra Checkpoint 11:30
Vans delivering workers back from their day’s work in the settlements await the soldier’s hand gesture. When that is finally apparent, they may proceed towards Tubas. Vehicles coming from Tubas are checked. We are told that especially in the morning there is considerable pressure here of workers off to work early. No closure in these parts.

Tyassir Checkpoint 13:01
Here too the drivers bound for Tubas await the soldier’s gesture in order to proceed. Vehicles arriving from the Tubas direction are checked. Their passengers disembark and are inspected at the pedestrian checkpoint. Traffic here today is normal.
Next to the checkpoint we happened to meet a B’tselem representative and his assistants, having received a complaint about the herd of cows that is held at the army base and not returned to its owners. To be followed.
A herd of cows has vanished into the army base near Hamam al Malih:
Several days ago Daphne received a call from a shepherd in the Jordan Valley, requesting help in getting back his cows that had entered the army base area by mistake. For some days now he has been asking to have them back but the soldiers deny the presence of the cows at the site...

Daphne repeatedly talked with the Jericho DCO about the matter. In some talks, the DCO denied the presence of cows on the base, in others he admitted they were there and said the shepherd should come and the cows would be released. In fact the shepherd did come to the base again and again and the cows were not returned.

At 13:30 we drove to the army base and asked the sentry to call his commander to explain the “cow matter”. The subject must have been familiar to the sentry – he answered us politely and within minutes the commander came out to speak with us.

The commander claimed he had only arrived at the base this morning to replace the commander who’d left for holiday leave. He said that this morning, when he arrived, he himself had released the cows. To our question, how many cows did he release he answered that he didn’t know exactly. About ten. Where? Through the gap in the fence behind the base, the gap through which they have entered. Where was the shepherd while the cows were being released? Standing at the front gate of the base. Why did he not tell the shepherd he was releasing the cows at the gap, very far away from the gate, so he could catch them passing and prevent their getting lost again? The commander rolled his eyes and shrugged. Why were the cows not released earlier? He had no idea, he only got here today. What did the cows eat and drink as they hung around the base all those days?  Again, he shrugged and rolled his eyes. He added that he had closed the gap in the fence. Another gap in the fence had not been closed because, he claimed, it is close to the sentry post and therefore in view and “not a problem”.

We brought to the commander’s attention the fact that since the cows just simply let go it would probably take a while until the shepherd will manage to locate all of them. We asked to make sure he would not be arrested now while roaming the area searching for his cows (the Bedouins are not allowed to cross several imaginary limit lines around the army base, and if they do, jeeps are immediately alerted and they get arrested). The commander’s answer: “It’ll be okay. We know him here...” (we didn’t bother asking why he was harassed if they know him here... We assumed that this question too would be met with a shrug and rolling eyes).

Note that this affair is more complex than we’d seen and heard today. A further detailed account will be submitted by Daphne. The fact is that 40 (!) cows had been roaming the base for a few days, their shepherd repeatedly begging for them to be released. Many lies had flown to and fro during these days, a lot of deep concern for the shepherd whose flock is the sole source of livelihood for his family. Many telephone calls and pleas and requests and hours during which the shepherd had stood in front of the gate, all for nothing. At the end of our talk we pointed out to the commander that in front of the entry gate much live ammunition lies scattered. He agreed with us that this was ‘out of line’. We must all remember  times in the past when Bedouin children were caught in possession of ammunition and were accused of supposedly having stole it from the Israeli army. And here, right to our very eyes and the commander’s eyes – all this ammunition lies scattered around in front of the base.

We proceeded to return to Tel Aviv.

Shaar Shomron Checkpoitn 14:44
Again a Palestinian vehicle with an Israeli license plate is detained. As we try to photograph it, the guards are alerted and prevent us from doing so, pointing to signs that prohibit taking pictures.

Translator:  Charles K.

Bezeq checkpoint 13:10
We drove through.  No one paid any attention to us.  A weapon pointed at the road; we can’t see the head and body of the person holding it.  Afternoon.  The Jordan Valley is steaming – very, very hot and humid.

Mechola junction
Soldiers stationed at the pickup point, and another on the hill.  They seem to be on duty.  When we return we’ll already know their job is to guard the new recruits’ parents who are riding around in the afternoon heat searching for the Kfir base where a recruits “Parents Day” is underway.

13:30  Tayasir
We:  “Hello.”  Soldier: “Hello, hello.”  Others are notified of our arrival over the wireless:  “…If they interfere, tell him and he’ll take care of it…”  I wonder what we have to do that would constitute interfering???  Beyond that, the soldiers take no notice of us.  Why are all of them sergeants today?

Middle Eastern melodies wailing to God on high (coming from a cellphone), IDs inspected next to the computer station.  Women’s purses checked externally – the sergeant leaning against the wall hefts them in his hand to estimate their weight.  Buses and cars carrying laborers pass westward without delays.  The IDs of drivers coming from the west are checked at the position on the road.  The passengers, “wahad wahad” [one by one] go through inspection in the upper lane.  Laborers from Tayasir cross to work in a Palestinian date factory near Jericho.  They’ll work until 10 PM.

A school minibus arrives.  The soldiers are on the alert for the flood running toward them.  The children burst out through the revolving gate.  The first picks up a package of bread that was lying on the side, the others notice us and ask for presents, food, money, a watch…They have to make do with greetings and handshakes and run to the waiting minibus.  A Palestinian truck stops at the checkpoint, on its roof a sign, “There’s none like him, King of the Road.”

14:10  A soldier laden with equipment arrives for the new shift; the rest will come when we leave.

14:20  We left.

14:50  Hamra checkpoint
A small sign, like the one we saw at the previous junction, gets our attention, and we cross the road to read and photograph it.  Two soldiers (sergeants) approach us.  Who are you?  We reply.  They thought we stopped because of a problem with our car and came over to find out.  We thanked them.  They told us about Parents Day for the Kfir brigade recruits.  The male and female soldiers were busy showing parents who’d lost their way how to return.  While the soldiers at the checkpoint were dealing with wayward parents, the Palestinian cars had to wait.  The junction became somewhat crowded.  Here’s what it looked like:  Cars with the soldiers’ parents waiting behind Palestinian cars??!!.  Good Lord!  How frightening!!!  So they honk in annoyance and pass them at the junction – on the right, on the left…

Nuri leaves the checkpoint and asks about Dafna.  He praises her.  Tells us that today the soldiers are ok.  Invites us for coffee.  We politely refuse (we’re dreaming of air conditioning and we have to get to Parents Day soon).

15:35  We left.

We decided to drive to “Parents Day.”
We removed our MachsomWatch badges and turned east at the junction leading to the Kfir base.  The flags that greeted us at the junction were evidence of how the soldiers should think:  Written on them, in red:  “Think Army”

A female soldier greeted us and waved us on to a male soldier (or maybe it was the other way around) who pointed us to the parking lots.  Families laden with baskets, flowers, balloons passed by a stand where they received a white rose and a printed sheet of colored paper (a different color for each battalion) from the brigade commander.  We asked for the page for Dukhifat (because they’re the ones at the checkpoint today).  We were told that the texts are all identical.  We decided not to continue inside, because we really had no business there.  On our way we saw more parents who’d gotten lost and were on their way to the Peless base, and had started returning.

16:00  Bezeq checkpoint
Everything ok?      

Translation: Bracha B.A.

Bezek Checkpoint 15:20
We drove through unnoticed. The view with the sun in the west is lovely. There is still roadwork between Roi and the Hamra junction.

13:45 Hamra Junction
A banner on a fence reminds us to register for the Likud party. (is political propaganda permitted  in a military zone?

8 cars are waiting to cross. The first is from Gaza and the driver is already impatient and is honking the horn. Before we managed to ask how long they had been waiting the line began to move forward and within a short time all the traffic going west went through. During the time we were observing there was constant traffic going west and busses of workers going east and there were no more delays.

An officer greets us and another soldier with a drawn weapon follows him like a shadow. He asks us how things are going and then leaves us alone.  Other soldiers halfheartedly ask us to leave and not disturb them but decide not to pursue the argument with us. A black, Mercedes is sent back to let its passengers out to be checked before it goes through. We left at 16:35.

16:55 Tayasir
There are four soldiers present – one at the observation point, one checking vehicles, one checking pedestrians, and an officer leaning on the barrier looking tired and worn out. We are told that on Yom Kippur the checkpoint will be open. People don't have to remove their belts but only have to place their mobile phones and money on the table. There is a lot of traffic here as well. A large group of pedestrians arrives and a truck that brought them waits for 15 minutes before they go through. We left at 17:30.  

17:45 – Bezek Checkpoint
We say hello and begin to drive through. 
The attendant (angrily): Where are you coming from?
From Tayasir and Hamra.

He lets us through whether he likes it or not.  

Bracha B.A.

This is the second day of Rosh Hashanah for the Jews and Eid el Fitr for the Moslems.

Bezek Checkpoint 10:10
We drove through and were unnoticed.  No one was pointing weapons towards the traffic because there was none.  We decided to begin observing at Hamra Checkpoint.

10:30 Hamra Checkpoint
There are one or two woman soldiers and three men.  There is a dismantled turnstile lying next to the shed.  The arms of the turnstile are lying next to another wall.  There are cars and a lot of taxis.  People are dressed up and there are many children.  Some have gone to a wedding and others are visiting because of the holiday.   Everyone is checked.  Even the young children have learned to undo their belts and put them back on after they go through.

The loudspeaker announces, "Come up, come up, five at a time."  Cars wait 2-3 minutes to go through.  To our surprise one transit with children goes through without having to get out and walk through.  People coming from Jenin on their way report that they drove through without any problems.  We left at 11:20.

11:45 – Tayasir
Happy New Year..
"I know those bitches."  (meaning us).  There is a greeting on the gate from Duhifat Battalion 94  known as the black dragons.  Obviously there is some sort of gathering.   There are a lot of empty bottles and cans on the ground around the garbage container.  Someone tried to burn the garbage and it is scattered around.  A soldier comes up to us from the watchtower  and asks what we are doing there.   He is followed by a first sergeant who demands to see our ID cards.  We point to our [Machsom Watch] tags but he is not satisfied, saying that this is his checkpoint and we have to show ID cards. He calls someone on the walkie-talkie but gets no answer.  We inquire as to his ownership of the checkpoint and he explains that he is the commander.   We continued to our usual observation point.  He continued to call on the walkie- talkie.

There are four soldiers present: one is at the observation point, one on the road, one at the pedestrian crossing and the commander.  The door to the restrooms swings and creaks.  Here, too, cars and taxis pass through with people in holiday dress, and children remove their belts and put them back on again when they go through.   A voice from the walkie-talkie reports "I know those bitches.  Just don't let them stand too close and get in the way."    The soldier at the pedestrian crossing is eating sunflower seeds and the soldier at the vehicle inspection point puts his cigarette aside before approaching the cars.  All passengers' documents are checked.

At 12:15 we begin to leave and the commander asks why we don't stay until the end of the shift at 14:00.

12:30 Bezek Checkpoint
People greet us as usual:  "How are you?"
"Great."