Tayasir, Tue 12.10.10, Afternoon
Bezeq CP 12:45
We went through. None paid any attention to us.
The air is wonderfully clear. You can feel the strong sun's rays. It is hot.
13:00 Tyasir CP
The torn flag is still flying. Last week the officer said that they must replace it.
It is quiet and hot. At the upper post, there is a friendly soldier. We met him last week, too. It seems that today he is in charge of the CP. We were not asked to move or to leave, and the communications instrument did not shriek with constultations about allowing us to stand there. A soldier is posted on the road; a soldier is sitting in the post where the IDs are inspected and obviously there is a soldier on the tower. Military vehicles cross the CP in the direction of Area A. A truck with two licence plates on it -- one yellow and the the second a Palestinian plate, goes through the CP to the east (in the direction of the Valley). Later another truck goes through with two similar licence plates. On its roof there is a sign 'There is none but Him." Taxis and trucks go through, and there are no delays in their passage. A new passenger vehicle with school children stops near the post on the road without asking the children to get out. The CP commander does not agree, and he goes there to make the children get out of the car near the pedestrian route. They break into a run. The commander tries shouting, "One at a time, one at a time". The children keep galloping. The first to arrive get bags of bread (remains of the soldiers' food). They are not allowed to take the food that remains in the little trays. A few of the boys are very belligerent, scream when they face the camera
, as if they are afraid to have their pictures taken. They ask for money, for food, for the watch, the bags, a sad and embarrassing situation. The girls are less aggressive; they shake hands and run to their ride. After the children reached the vehicle, the driver went up to the post with them. He tries to explain that there is no sense in making the children go through the turnstile. The soldier in charge agrees, on the condition that the older student will go through the pedestrian route. Agreed. Now we have to observe and see if they stick to the agreement (what will happen to the bread that awaits the children?)
13:55 We left.
The children's driver waved good-bye as he made his way back.
Today there's no work ("Stop/Go") on layering the Alon Road. The road is smooth and it seems that the work there has been completed.
14:20 Hamra CP
Here too there is no special welcome for us. We stand and walk around the entire CP quite freely. There are five male soldiers and two women soldiers. From time to time a pair of them approaches the post on the road and signals to a car to go through. The principal concern at the CP and the object of the soldiers' attention is the net for shade that was torn and has fallen to pieces. Apparently there was a strong wind here. In a few places on the roof there are some broken pieces and some crushed parts. The driver who takes passengers tells us about the mess at the CP. We couldn't really understand what he meant today. Or else, maybe he wanted to say that having a CP is a big mess. Some taxis arrive at the CP. And there are a few pedestrians.
14:45 We left.
15:15 Bezeq
Somebody asks where we are coming from. We answered. This time, when he heard the answer, we could see a reaction of anger and insult on the face of the man from the "passage administration". He asked to see our IDs. He got them; studied them; returned them, and opened the CP.