Tayasir

10:30  The A. family’s encampment

Miyada, an Arab Israeli nurse, examined the girl we’re taking care of.  The family has prepared for rain; they’ve bolstered the tents and sheds to minimize damage.  But the girl has cold sores on her crippled legs; life out in the open in the extreme weather is very difficult.

From their encampment we can see snow-capped peaks in Jordan.

11:15  Tayasir checkpoint

On the way to the checkpoint we saw groups of locals gathered near Hamam el Malih.  There was also an active military presence in the area, soldiers erected a tent near the road and some watched it from an overlooking hill.

When we reached the checkpoint the soldiers called to us, motioning with their hands for us to leave, but unlike the last time no incident developed; we ignored one another.  A few minutes later a vehicle stopped next to us with two locals who live near Hamam el Malih.  They said two or three cows had been stolen from them; they’re searching for them and trying to figure out how many had been stolen.  Vehicles crossed in both directions after document inspection.

12:30  We stopped at the gathering near Hamam el Malih.  Araf Daramey, the local council head, told us that a Nature Protection Society vehicle showed up last night at the army base at Hamam el Malih carrying cows that belonged to them.  They’re not able to discover their whereabouts now, and what happened to them.  They called the Jericho DCO and the Nature Protection Society and were told to wait.  Why?  For whom?  For how long?  No one answered.  Every day that goes by increases the cost of redeeming them.  Dafna told us over the phone that she’d look into it.

Another man showed us a receipt for the repair of his vehicle whose tires had been punctured at the Tayasir checkpoint by soldiers who according to him had suddenly raised the spiked barrier with no warning as if a vehicle had tried to run the checkpoint without stopping.  He also said the soldiers told him to have it repaired, give them the bill and the IDF will pay.  Such an enlightened occupation.