Habla, Nabi Ilyas

Habla.

Without prior planning we arrived at the plant nurseries and there we met our friends. They were agitated and told us that the carrying on at the CP during last week and the behaviourof the soldiers was annoying, and pointed out that the situation was deteriorating and had been especially severe during the last days. There is a great delay in the opening of the gates both in the morning and at noon, whereas they are meticulous regarding the closing times, and thus shorten the period during which the gates are open.

The explanation: there aren't enough soldiers. They are only four and they still have other gates to open. Furthermore, the soldiers of the unit behave rudely and disrespectfully towards the Palestinians and try to humiliate them. There are also cases of provocations on the part of the soldiers towards the Palestinians who try to keep cool and not be drawn into violent reactions.

This morning the soldiers arrived late and opened the CP at 07:45. As a non- violent protestation, about 100 Palestinians who were on the spot, became organized and stood at a distance from the gate and refused to pass through it. The soldiers were surprised and became stressed, and at the same time the activists contacted the Palestinian DCO as well as the Israeli one, and requested for the umpteenth time that they should be summoned, and their protestations and demands be listened to.

Contrary to the previous cases, they were promised a meeting in the coming days.

Nebi Elias.At the meeting which had been fixed beforehand with the expert for infrastructures in the Qalqiliya area, two items were discussed: A. the problem of the sewerage which flows from time to time from Alfei Menashe onto the agricultural lands at 

 The ongoing danger for children and elderly people, when crossing road

In the course of the conversation about the cruelty of the occupation, an event which happened three years ago was also raNeised. The inhabitants had connected a well in the village to the electricity system in order to make the drawing of water more efficient. On the next day the army came, destroyed the connection and confiscated the electricity poles (13 in number) which served to connect the well, and in spite of the inhabitants' demand to get the poles back, the army refused to do so. Some time ago the residents got a claim from the Civil Administration to pay 20.000 Shekel for the storage of the poles.

Israeli justice!