Huwwara, Jit Junction , Za'tara (Tapuah), Tue 29.1.13, Morning
09:30 We left from the Rosh Ha’ayin train station. There’s no English class today because the club is being used for local elections.
The circuit:
10:00 Tapuach junction. A few soldiers man the checkpoint but aren’t checking vehicles; traffic flows. (A few hours later we heard on the radio about a serious incident there. It turns out that the quiet is only temporary and apparent; a conflagration can erupt at any moment).
10:15 To Huwwara. The town is full of life. Some shops have elegant shop windows. Americanization infiltrates here also. Colorful advertisements, some in English. Even images of Bob Sponge Pants. On the other side of town – the checkpoint. Adjoining it – a new plaza, with a structure made of three arches, olive trees planted around it. Piles of sand and gravel indicate that construction at the plaza hasn’t been completed yet. We don’t see any laborers. The rain must have delayed the work. How wonderful that the Israeli occupation invests in esthetics…
The checkpoint is open and traffic flows.
10:40 The rain stopped as we drove to the Jit junction; the sun shines pleasantly. Almond trees follow nature’s orders, blossoming white and pink along the road. Funduq is quiet. Little traffic in the street, and few pedestrians.
11:00 Nabi Elias. Full of life. People come out to the streets after the rain stops.
Then to the Eliyahu crossing. Solitary Palestinian vehicles go through without inspection.
11:15 We return to Rosh Ha’ayin.