Dogs, dog trainer

Ar-Ras

07:45 – A curfew has been imposed on the West Bank. There is a little traffic. A woman dog-trainer is here with a huge dog that jumps on every taxi or pick-up truck.

Anabta

08:30 – A long line has been generated at the entrance because every entering car is checked. When we ask about it, they say this is the instruction they have. In addition to that, Israeli cars are not allowed to enter because of President Bush's visit. The Israelis get smart. They stop before the checkpoint and get into a Palestinian car or a taxi.

A Ras 7:45

Curfew in the West Bank, and there's not a lot of traffic. There’s a dog
trainer around the checkpoint area. Her dog climbs over every cab or truck.

Anabta 8:30

The line at the entrance
is getting very long because every entering vehicle is checked. We are told
that these are the orders. In addition, due to Bush’s visit, Israeli cars are
not allowed to enter. The Israelis leave their cars before the checkpoint and transfer
to Palestinian cars or taxis.

Ar-Ras.
13.50

There was a high alert and all the soldiers were wearing
helmets.Three soldiers at the north checked cars coming from Tulkarm. A long line
of cars. Two soldiers at the east check those coming from Qalqiliya and
we cannot see the end of the line. There is especially heavy traffic.
Some of the taxis which come from Tulkarm set down their passengers
and return. The passengers then are checked and on the other side take
another taxi and so also in the opposite direction. Three soldiers and
a dog check a Subaru car and the driver and his passenger stand at a
distance on the other side of the road and this takes more than 10
minutes.

14.10
The next car which the soldiers choose to have checked by the dog is a
van. The driver and his passenger are told to stand at the side. In the
meantime an army vehicle arrives with a captain with the rank of
sergeant, He greets us and we ask why there are such careful checking.
He says that there are alerts all along the routes and he has come to
speed things up.

14.20 The dog leaves the vehicle to relieve itself in the fields and returns. At 14.25 the car goes on its way.

A long line of cars from Tulkarm.

Anabta. 14.40

Few cars in the direction of Tulkarm. It is impossible to see the end of the line of cars coming from Tulkarm.
The
passengers of a taxi get out and go to the pedestrian crossing. The
soldiers stop them about 10 metres from the checkpoint. The men have to
do strip and do the dance and only then to go to the checkpoint. Truck
drivers have to stop at a distance of 30 metres, to get out, strip and
then get back in and then come forward slowly to show their IDs.
Passengers of taxis, the males also have to get out and strip but the
women are allowed to stay inside.
The
traffic to Tulkarm increases and the passengers of a bus have their IDs
collected by the driver and the soldier checks them quickly and they
go on their way.

15.05
Long lines of cars in both directions. The commander says there is an
alert and that a terrorist had left one of the villages and was in the
vicinity.

15.15
We go to Beit Iba and at the exit of the village of Beit Lid there is
a rolling checkpoint. 4 cars wanting to enter the village. 2 Hummers at
the side of the road and the soldiers check those passing by.

Beit Iba
 
7.50 The crossroads of Jit. A Hummer, soldiers and spiked barriers on the road 60 from Nablus. The soldiers stop all the taxi and check IDs but the passage is swift. 7-8 cars.

8.25 Beit Iba.  We observe the checkpoint from the turning to Qusin. 6 cars with a swift check but every now and again the soldiers take a rest and this causes the line to lengthen.  The soldiers make a lot of trouble for the porters who take parcels from one end of the checkpoint to another. The checkpoint holds them up and they have to open the parcels even though there also dogs are used to check. One of the porters said that in the morning he had not been allowed to pass at all. Many taxi drivers say they have no passengers as people have no money. Only two cars at the entrance to Nablus.

We pass to the pedestrian passage.

The passage is slow and very messy. The entire time there are 15 men on the other side of the turnstile. As has been noted before the men have to take their belts off and everything out of their pockets so as not to activate the magnometer. Some of the parcels are checked not only in the magnometer but also by hand.

Elderly people and women are passed through by the commander with IDS but parcels are not checked by the magnometer. We did not see any representative of the DCO while we were there.

In the meantime a long line of cars piled up at the entrance to Nablus because the soldiers were chatting and not checking. We tried to call the attention of the commander to this but not only did he not react he also turned his back on me. But after a few minutes the checking was resumed.

We could not see if there were detainees nor did we see anyone being detained.

Entrance to Nablus with hardly any checking.

We returned to Jit and at 9.45 the rolling checkpoint was still working and there were 15 cars which had already been checked at Beit Iba. The drivers were angry and while we watched the line lengthened to 20 cars. At 9.55 we left.

Summary

The adage "necessity is the mother of invention," is usually taken to
mean that if someone really needs something or has a problem, he/she
will find a way of doing or solving it. The Occupier's needs in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories have given rise to the invention of new devices, such as building
a better mousetrap, if you like, to ensnare his captives. There is no
dearth to the Occupier's imagination, skill or creativity in devising
ingenious solutions to deal with the so-called dire situation he
finds himself in. Throughout this decades-old Occupation, there is
lots of evidence proving that to carry on this morally wrong
subjection of another people, the Occupier's requirements as well as
his wishes, cause necessity to be the mother of invention.

14:15 Deir Sharaf

We hear of Nablus being closed for three days and of the fear and
damage caused by the Occupier's soldiers. And not only in the Kasbah.
We hear of a baby being teargassed, of soldiers entering and damaging
people's houses – and not only in the Kasbah. So much for our media!
For three days, people could not get in or out of the city: complete
curfew. No wonder we heard from two sources today of the desire to
get out completely, to leave, to find a way of living where there is
life, where there is a means to have an existence. Not here. Not
with this Occupier. Not ever….

14:40. Beit Iba

The Occupier's representative at the checkpoint, once again second
lieutenant Y., shrugs off the curfew, noting only that there are not
many people today. Not true. There are 50-60 lined up at all times
behind turnstile number one (younger men) and countless numbers of
women, older men and teachers, judges, doctors, etc. – those allowed
in the humanitarian line. What is true is that there are few vehicles
leaving Nablus, and few entering. On the other hand, the Occupier is
represented by 15 (fifteen) soldiers and one dog, whose kennel now
sits proudly in the center of the new, improved checkpoint.

Pedestrian checking: what's new this week? There are now two
manometers, so, in theory, two turnstiles could lead to two
manometers. Logical? Yes, but the Occupier knows no logic. Only the
language of Occupation which is harassment and humiliation, and only
one turnstile in use but two ID checkers on duty inside the booth in
the center of this military operation.

The noise at the pedestrian checking area is awful. The manometers go
off all the time with their high pitched "shrieks." A sergeant shouts
non-stop to the men lined up: "Take off your belts, take out your
mobile phones," so they wait, beltless, at the turnstile, then move,
books or briefcases in hand to the checking table, or to the two
shelves set up on either side of the main checking booth, parallel to
the manometers. Behind one of these shelves, a soldier stands, his
gun pointed straight at those waiting to be checked. When not in this
position, we see this particular soldier studying each man's mobile
phone, often for over five minutes, playing with its buttons,
flicking through its messages: heaven knows what. Another invention,
another intrusion into Palestinian lives. Yet, what we see on the
faces before us is "sumud." What choices are left to these people?
Other items, including wallets are passed through the manometer by
this particular soldier while the military policewoman at the
checking table rummages in the bags and briefcases and shouts and
shouts, together with her sergeant colleague.

Meanwhile, there are many soldiers other than those at the pedestrian
checking area. Their main occupation, besides Occupation, seems to be
joking and chatting with each other. A lieutenant has arrived, and he
joins in the merrymaking in the center of the checkpoint as the
soldier dog handler and her dog are carrying out their "mission" on
the far side of the checkpoint. Here, a pick up truck, its three
occupants on the sidewalk, a distance away, stand and watch the dog
lick under hood, under the truck and, of course, wander all over the
seats and the cab inside. This "operation" takes ten minutes or so,
after which, duty done, the dog is placed back in his kennel and the
soldiers can return to joshing with their colleagues as the few
passing vehicles wait to be checked.

The commander, a not unreasonable soldier, with no influence on the
soldiers he's supposed to be commanding, tells us that mobile phones
have been found to have "pictures of women soldiers" or "Hamas
individuals." Dream on, we think to ourselves…. As for everybody's
phone being checked, "only suspicious individuals."

15:05 -- in the humanitarian line, no turnstile, just a soldier in a
booth at the end. We see that men are turned back if under 45, and
women are joined by many small children. A young woman with a small
girl has her Jordanian passport examined by a soldier who stares and
stares at it, turns its pages, obviously not knowing what to do,
other than keep everybody waiting. On questioning by us, as to what's
wrong, he waves her on and goes on, uncomprehending in his Occupier's
role. A man with a small, but heavy piece of equipment for a car,
tells the soldier that he's a taxi driver in Deir Sharaf and he
needed this part fixed. Not allowed, says the soldier. Commander Y.
is called, says he knows the driver, and the taxi driver passes,
complete with his motor vehicle replacement.

15:30 -- suddenly Y, the commander, changes the rules. Everybody over
35 years of age can now enter the humanitarian line, and it fills up
rapidly, and a doctor complains about the length of time it now takes
to pass. But there's no manometer, no mobile phone inspection, no
beltlessness here! And the line behind the turnstile, of younger men,
remains as long as before. All the time we're here there have been
two men in the distant detention compound (no way we can get near
these days). One is about to be picked up by the Shabak (General
Security Services), the other, we're told, will be let go soon.

16:00 Jit Junction

A line of 15 vehicles, a Hummer placed at the junction with the road
leading to Beit Iba, but no checking from the Zaatra direction. From
the taxi in front of us emerge two young men, needing a smoke: they
encourage us to get out of the line, to overtake, behave settler
style, and pass through to the head of the line. We do so.

 Meitar - Sansana CP

(07:00-07:40) The checkpoint is fully privatized, no trace of soldiers nor police officers. The first carousel is open, the line is formed all the way to the second one and flows on in reasonable pace, though we hear complains about very early arrival to get to the head of the line, and we still don't know why only two of the four checking stands are staffed and working. A security guy on top of the nearby pillbox calls occasionally to anyone strolling out of line and too close to the fence to get back in line. We passed to the Israeli side of the checkpoint. Near the passage of the Palestinian workers, 6 cages with barred windows for the dogs. One security man plays with one of those frightening dogs who is not on a leash, right by the workers on their way out towards the parking lot. Very disturbing sight. Some Palestinians pass occasionally on foot through the cars' checkpoint, these are with passage permits not for work, such as to go to the hospital.

Specific complaints:

1) Why are work tools banned? Other checkpoints allow this.

2) Someone was told not to bring coffee next time. It appears that the bag was new and unopened (not to mention cans). We advised to bring it in a simple clear plastic bag, not the original package.

3) The checkpoint is closed Saturdays, unlike other checkpoints, and contrary to declared policy.

4) On Fridays workers are told to be back by 13:30, or return through Tarqumia. Neither option is possible for them, so they end up waiting forever at the cars'checkpoint for passage  back home.

5) One Palestinian resident of Beer Sheva (says he prifited from the family reunion policy) drives every day to the Dura- El Fawar junction to bring his workers, complains that he is the only Israeli employer who does this who gets checked, including his car, including sniffing dogs, every day.

Road 60

The first 2 km are new, work on the road continues. Our driver, A., says that that Palestinian cars are no longer prevented from driving on the road, with the exception of cars trying to get on the road at blocked places (we saw one going for this option near Samo'a), accused of "tearing down the blockade". We still saw one donkey rider and one donkey and cart, in place of normal transportation.

At the junction to the left leading towards Dahariya north of Ottniel, the blocking rocks pulled apart a little, some commercial vans on both sides, A. says this is a "back to back" trade transfer point.

Shayuh, 08:15 - a military hammer jeep parked east of the road, near the blockade. On our way back, 7 min. later it is no longer there. On our way back south, near the junction of road 35, a big sign says: "Welcome to the regional council Hebron Mountains, 25 years of settlement and growth".

Back on road 317: the low concrete separation fence has been removed all the way, near Soussya all we see is the whitish line it scarred alongside the road

Beit Iba

8.00 Little movement. IDs and parcels of those leaving Nablus checked. Men take off their belts. Women and older men go on a side route.

Few cars in either direction and they pass quickly. Many soldiers including 2 dog trainers.

9.20 Back to Anabta

 Translation: Rachel B.

( Bethlehem via phone report)

We drove on Road #60 and found a "flying checkpoint" next to Shevut Rachel with three cars.  All the roads that connect to Road #60 from either left or right have been blocked with a yellow {cross}bar or piles of dirt and rocks.

Za'tara: 
A line of nearly 50 cars. Two terminals are open.  We did not stop, but immediately called the Humanitarian Center who promised to look into it.

Huwwara:
The parking lot is not terribly busy and the pedestrian line for Nablus is empty.  The lines for people coming from Nablus are thin too and it takes an average of 20 minutes to pass through.  The commander of the checkpoint, Officer D. is polite and willing to listen to us.  The District Coordination Office commander, R., whom we asked to intervene to resolve the situation at Za'tara, went  there immediately and after a half hour we learned that the line had dissipated and passage through the checkpoint is going smoothly.  On the other hands, for cars heading from Nablus to the south it took an hour and a half to get through.  A dog handler and her colleague and a beautiful German Shepard are an important part of the slow proceedings at his checkpoint. The dog not only sniffs around the car, but is also put inside the car and climbs around the seats.  And for those who have forgotten - we are not at the entrance to New York or Tel Aviv- we are at the entry point from a Palestinian town to a Palestinian village. 
Another one of the harsh humiliations {of Palestinians} that we witness.  Let us not forget that it's only 10 kilometers between this checkpoint and the next one, where another dog will "visit" the cars. 
A driver who passed through on "Madison Road" was detained but we succeeded (so to speak...) in getting him released after two hours - a veritable "miracle."

The peddlers are allowed to sell their wares as the soldiers turn a blind eye to it.  Evidently reality is stronger than all {policies}. However, the schwarma merchant is warned not to set up his stall next to the entrance to the checkpoint the next day.

Beit Furik:
About 50 cars (!!!!!) are waiting in the line to get through the checkpoint and there is also a long line of pedestrians.  There is a lot of  justified anger.  We contacted the District Coordination Office and someone arrived very soon and after a short while the soldiers started checking people and procession them through the checkpoint at a  fast pace.  An argument started between some drivers and one of the soldiers decided that "it's necessary to punish" one of the drivers.  We intervened and warned the soldier that he is doing something illegal because he is not authorized to punish that person, certainly not for an argument among the Palestinians.  The soldier, of course, dismissed our comment but the intervention of the District Coordinator Office commander led to the man being released.  It's important to note that the soldier threatened the "unruly" driver that next time he will detain him for six hours.

As we have said - miracles happen even at the Beit Fureik checkpoint.

Bethlehem (report by phone)

At 5:00 AM on Saturday morning I got a phone call from the Ecumenical Escorts that the checkpoint has not been opened.  A complaint led to the checkpoint opening.  When we were at Beit Furik we got a very urgent call, again from the Ecumenical Escorts, whom we could barely hear because of the noise and yelling in the background.  At the place there was a serious disruption, apparently as a result of a fight or argument among the people waiting to cross the checkpoint.  Three blind women on their way to Jerusalem were detained.  The tension was very high.  After a consultation with Noa P. we decided not to contact any Knesset members, but rather to contact the Army directly.  Without any addresses for the police or civilian authorities (all closed for Shabbat) and no response from the Border Police, we contacted the Commanding Office of the Ezyon District Coordinating Office and the Regional Division spokesperson.

At the end, we found out from a later call, that the situation was resolved soon after our intervention.

Arrived at 6:10. The passage was open. According to Shlomi (the “boss”) the passage is opened every day at 4:30, and about 700 have already passed through. According to the Palestinians, it was opened today only at 5:10 (there were about 300 more waiting in the sheds).
On the whole the passage is very slow, because the Palestinians have to take off their coats, hats, belts and shoes, put them on “trays” to be checked electronically (as we were told) and hand in their different certificates to be checked at the “windows”. All this slows down the tempo. We were told that two more “windows” are to be added soon, so the check up will be more efficient. In the meantime the Palestinians are very bitter, and ironically enough, miss the soldiers, who did not ask them to take off anything and allowed them to carry into Israel their cans of water.
The Palestinians are very embittered, and though the girls at the “windows” are very polite towards them, the slow process of passing through causes hard feelings and many problems among the waiting people in the sheds. We also saw that trained dogs were added to search for explosives, mostly in cars (so we were told).