'Azzun 'Atma, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Thu 25.11.10, Afternoon

Translator:  Charles K.

14:10  Six command cars clumped across from us, at the Za’tara checkpoint.

14:20  Za’tara checkpoint – from time to time there’s congestion in the line of vehicles coming from Nablus because the drivers wait for a sign – that they don’t get – from the soldiers, and don’t know whether they’re permitted to go through.

Posters of settlers critical of the settlement freeze hang unimpeded as usual from the checkpoint fences.

14:45  Huwwara checkpoint – Random inspection of vehicles coming from both directions.  Sometimes a line forms.  As of Monday, trucks and heavy vehicles are permitted to cross through the Huwwara checkpoint.  The Awarta checkpoint has been closed.  The DCO representative confirmed this.

The DCO representative reported:  he heard from two Palestinians who asked him for help that a young laborer from the village of Rujeib been very seriously injured at his workplace in Tel Aviv and has been hospitalized in the intensive care unit at Ichilov Hospital.  He’s the family breadwinner.  All the family members are prohibited from entering Israel.  The DCO representative spoke to the foreman and the laborers colleagues.  He told us there’s no one who can visit the patient, and will inform the family.

15:20  Awwarta checkpoint – The checkpoint is there but we didn’t see any soldiers in position.

On our way back:  We crossed through the checkpoint; near the private home is a yellow metal barrier with a sign in Arabic:  “The checkpoint is closed.  Please use the Huwwara checkpoint.”  We’ll send a photo.  While we were there a truck arrived, discovered for the first time the checkpoint is closed and went to the Huwwara checkpoint.  We saw announcements at the deserted (?) guard booths that had been classified as “Confidential” posted indifferently.  Later we saw a soldier in the guard tower.

15:21  Beit Furiq checkpoint –On the way to the checkpoint we saw from the hilltop a flying checkpoint on the road to the village.  A commander car on one side, beyond it a line of detained youths next to a minibus.  We’ll send a photo.  We saw no activity at the checkpoint itself, other than two soldiers watching from the guard tower.

A Palestinian and his wife driving from the village said the soldiers hit the detainees and made them undress.

15:40  A., from the humanitarian office, confirmed there had been a roadblock, and now no one was being detained.

16:!5  Za’tara checkpoint – No congestion; a young detainee at the checkpoint, his vehicle being very rigorously inspected.  As we tried to photograph (while driving) soldiers appear, stop us, demand we erase the photo.

17:21  Azzun Atma checkpoint – Already dark.  The laborers returning home are inspected.  No line forms.  The soldiers immediately tell us: no photographs 

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