'Azzun 'Atma, Habla, Tue 1.2.11, Afternoon

We arrived at 15:20 at Azoun Atma. There were no workmen at the CP as it was too early. There were many soldiers. A jeep which patrolled in the village arrived at the other CP of Azoun Atma, and another group of soldiers descended from it. 

It seemed that the soldiers were bored. Three soldiers went to the other side of the gate, where the children sell vegetables. Two talked with the children and a third soldiers stood with a drawn gun pointed at the children. The children began moving their merchandise and the soldiers left. We asked one of the children who was present and who came out in order to sell us lupine (Turmus) what had happened and he said that the soldiers don't want the children to maintain the market there and drive them away all the time and sometimes spill all their vegetables. "It depends", he says, if the soldiers are good, then they don't do anything, but if they are bad they make a mess". One of the children told us that when the workmen return they stand in one queue and not in two and so they stand packed and they checking becomes slower and the queue reaches the road.

At 15:35 we left and drove to the Kafr-Aldik and toured the village. We continued to Kafr Burkin and walked aroung there too, the streets were almost empty, probably because of the cold. Then we drove to the Hares Junction (Yakir Junction). To our surprise we saw soldiers and a girl soldiers standing each behind a concrete barricade and a few meters from them there were two Israeli vehicles that had collided. We went to talk with the girl soldiers, asked her why they were standing there. The girl soldier answered that they always stand at that junction in order to protect the Israelis who pass there. And then from one of the vehicles three young people, settlers it seemed, came out, and asked us why don't you address us and ask us, we too are soldiers? We didn't answer, they only wanted to provoke us.

We went to one of the taxi drivers who stood at the entrance to Kafr Hares. He said that the soldiers stand there every day and check Palestinian vehicles, especially taxis. We continued on road no. 5066 to the Punduk Junction, in the direction of Nablus, to road no. 55. At the turning to Emmanuel two military jeeps were parked, and the soldiers stopped Palestinian vehicles.

At 17:00 we arrived at the Habla gate. The gate was open, there were many people waiting in the queue. We asked when they had opened the gate and they said at a quarter to five.