Beit Iba, Jit, Mon 3.12.07, Morning

Trans. Judith Green
 
7:40 – J'it Junction
We arrive at the junction from the direction of the village of J'it and, to our delight, the checkpoint has no soldiers and traffic is flowing.  We are told that the checkpoint was closed yesterday in the direction of Qalqilya and only residents of the village of J'it were allowed through.
 
7:55 – Beit Iba
The construction of the checkpoint is about finished.  There is no line of vehicles at the entrance to Nablus;  at the exit, there are about 5 vehicles which are quickly inspected.  We crossed the road and were able to observe without any difficulty in both directions.
 
The pedestrian line at the entrance to the city underwent random inspection of young men, and the passage was open for women and adults.  The passage there is very narrow and when everyone has to be inspected, a lot of crowding is caused.
 
At the exit from the city there are two turnstiles worked by the soldiers and everyone undergoes strict inspection.  Altogether, there aren't many people going in and out, either by foot or by car.
 
The taxi drivers complain that the settlers at the new illegal settlement are throwing rocks at them and they have no to complain to.
 
A driver who has to fix his car at the garage in Nablus but does not have a permit to enter Nablus asks for our help but, of course, we have no way to help.  We left him talking with the DCO representative.
 
8:35 – We left.