Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Habla, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah)
Following Fathiya’s report, and with the help of Nadim we spoke with H. from Azzun who looks after the matter of detainees
from the village – the four children of one village family, 14,15,16 and 16.5 years old who were picked up by the Israeli army Thursday night. He said three of them were released on Friday and the fourth – the 16.5 years old – only on Sunday after the family paid 1000 NIS (it is not clear what the payment was for bail before trial? Money not paid in the past?)
H. said they had been caught in the past for throwing stones, and since then they are detained once in a while.
13:30 We left Kefar Sava.
13:40 Habla – the barrier is open, tractors and vehicles cross from both directions.Several people return to the village.
14:00 – the checkpoint is closed.
14:35 Huwwara checkpoint – lively traffic bound for Nablus. The car park is empty but for a single private car with a yellow (Israeli) license plate. No military vehicles or soldiers are seen.
13:00 Burin – From afar we see the single house close to the illegal outpost near Beracha settlement, reported on May 25th. Next to it we see several new electricity poles. The closest one to the house has been removed. We had earlier been informed that the settlers cut down the poles and that the army had been in the area today and left.
Beit Fourik Junction – no check post. A soldier standing at the hitch-hikers post. From afar we see a tall, massive building in Itamar settlement. Perhaps a hotel or some other public building, perhaps a yeshiva.
15:15 Huwwara – lively traffic, both vehicles, and pedestrians.
We pause for some knafe and coffee, and shopping.
16:00 Za'tara \/Tapuach Junction checkpoint – open. By the roadside northbound, 2 armed soldiers - male and female, on the southbound side, an army vehicle and armed soldiers. Next to them settlers, probably waiting for a ride.
16:20 Azzun Atme – the morning coffee kids are replaced by small children selling vegetables. About 18 people wait in line to enter, and many more constantly arrive, disembarking from vehicles. The soldier lets them through, two by two, relatively swiftly.
A soldier arrives, accompanied by a plainclothes Israeli, entering the checkpoint. The soldier speaks with the checkpoint soldiers, appears to be giving them instructions. A checkpoint soldier then arrives at the waiting line and orders about 8 youngsters, 16-18 years old, to hand him their IDs. They claim the civilian is a Shabak man. No one is upset, they wait patiently, used to these daily harassments. After about 15 minutes the IDs are partly returned, two of the boys are taken for questioning by the Shabak man. In the meantime, about 32 people accumulate in the line, passing slowly, as the soldiers are busy talking to each other and only occasionally call up people for passage. To our question they answer, “never mind”, “everything’s fine”. Nothing is urgent for them. They have plenty of time and control the time of others. A soldier takes IDs from other youngsters and makes them stand aside.
Although we stayed there for a long time and tried to find out what would happen to the detainees, we got no answers, unfortunately.
16:50 – we left.