Beit Iba, Sun 9.12.07, Afternoon

14:30 Jit Junction. As we continue on Route 55, at the Jit Junction there are three soldiers and a hummer, standing on the side towards Jit. On our return at 16:15, we see that the soldiers are stopping and checking vehicles going in the direction of Jit.

Just before Shavei Shomron, another ‘machsom’ is set up with a jeep and two soldiers.  Perhaps this is the army’s preparation concerning the settlers that are supposed to be coming into the territories this week to set up new points.  

15:00 Beit Iba. Six vehicles waiting from the Deir Sharaf side, no vehicles from Nablus

There are not too many pedestrians, the queues are not too bad. All  bags of the women who enter via the humanitarian queue are  checked, handbags as well.  The men are also checked; all their belongings are dumped out on the table and left for the owners to repack them. There are four female soldiers, they are the ones we hear the most, yelling, waving their hands and giving orders to stop, to go, etc.  The important thing is to show they have authority and are in control.   A friend passes and tells us that he told the soldier when she yelled at him, in perfect Hebrew, “don’t yell at me, I’m not one of your pupils”.  Unfortunately, it did not help much; we kept hearing her yell at everyone.

A taxi coming out of Nablus is being checked , everything from his trunk is taken out, all the bags (plastic and others) everything is taken out and searched, and then left for the driver to repack