Morning

When we parked the car next to a few taxis, one driver told us we shouldn't park there but rather hide the car somewhere out of sight because soldiers deflate the tires. As we were contemplating his words, a jeep (plate no. 668794) stopped, four soldiers jumped out with drawn rifles, two of them, with their pointed rifles began shoving the standing Palestinian drivers, one (the leader, and the most violent one) kicked one of the car doors, then after it opened, he kicked the driver sitting inside. When I tried to interfere, he pushed me away aggressively using all the force he could muster from his angle. Then he and another soldier ran from one car to the next with their pointed rifles, kicking, screaming, and finally all the taxis drove away, further up the road, further away from the checkpoint. Now the people coming to the checkpoint after leaving the taxis will have to walk a long way, more than a kilometer. When we questioned the Palestinians who had witnessed all this, they told us this happened often; the aggression, and the persecution.... Not less than three hundred Palestinians packed behind a red plastic barrier defining the closed checkpoint, most of them old men and women, many with walking sticks, many mothers with babies. It had been closed since 6 a.m. for no apparent reason. Shortly after we arrived it was opened; everything seemed arbitrary there, why it had been closed or why it was opened, who passed, and why.As the soldiers had never met us, and didn't know what to think, we were allowed to get really close to them and listen to their private conversations. They told us for example that they absolutely agree with us about the laws (like forbidding people from visiting relatives, or anything other than medical reasons) is not because of security reasons but for the plain reason of making Palestinians' lives miserable, the rationale being that this way they who are 'crushed' and will put pressure on the 'bad guys'. A handcuffed young Palestinian crouched near the soldiers' booth (his hands handcuffed behind his back), said a soldier attacked him and handcuffed him. The soldiers said he wouldn't go away when he was told and tried to beat them. However shortly after we arrived he was released, and was free to go. Very few cars waiting in line, two soldiers responsible for checking the cars which passed fairly quickly.When people were finally allowed through, the whole squashed crowd pushed forward. Unlike Qalandya, the area is not an open space, where people crowd, waiting, so when the soldiers removed the plastic barrier they all came forward, some pushing from the sides, trying to get in front. Many slipped down the muddy hill which slopes down from the path and we found ourselves helping older people up the hill after they had fallen.One soldier has the responsibility for letting people through, then they walk along a 10 meter long paved path, where they come to a booth where their final fate is determined. The soldier responsible for allowing the flow, makes the first choices as to who is allowed to move on. 'Go back or nobody passes', he shouts, while no one is allowed through. An impressive young guy called Murad takes responsibility, and 'in Arabic' explains 'politely' that they must retreat or they won't be allowed to pass. For a few seconds it seemed to work. some are allowed, children are crying, a mother carrying a child covered in a strange rash, very ill looking begs us (somehow sensing we are there for her) to appeal to the soldier so she can go first. I try, first he is rude, 'I know them' he says, 'they lie, they are all ill' he says meaning the opposite. 'this is a baby' I plead, 'look, they all agree that she goes first', and he allows her through. A woman who looks very ill pleads to us. We called the Moked who explain to us what she is saying, that she is bleeding, that she is having a miscarriage now, that she was sent urgently to the hospital. We spoke to the soldier again. He says she should stay in line, that she is lying, that he knows 'them', but then lets her pass. Another soldier joins him, an officer. First he is upset and won't allow anyone in, then he says all the children can pass, but when they come forward many fall down the hill, especially elderly people, and some of the younger men together with us help them up. Mud is splashed on everyone's clothes, many are crying.Women allowed to pass (those who are allowed) all men are squeezed to the side, 'stand in line' the soldier shouts at them though they aren't allowed to pass Many high ranking officers arrive, Soverheard them saying to the soldiers they shouldn't behave as they do, shouldn't shout, should let people through, should behave in a more civil way. All that time one soldier is left to manage the crowd and is not coping, not allowing people in. I come up to them and say 'maybe one of you can help him'. 'We're busy' he answers testily.A woman with a referral to a doctor in Nablus, has diabetes, her case doesn't seem urgent enough for the soldier, as her ID is not from Nablus. What is amazing is that not only do they follow these outrageous rules (if indeed these orders were issued) but they come to believe that someone whose ID reads Hawara and wants to go to Nablus, for the doctor, to visit family, because he lives there, that this request carries, intrinsically, inherently evidence of some wrong doing, some subversive motivation. Later on S regrets not telling the soldier that she too walks around freely in Tel Aviv and elsewhere though her ID reads the Kibbutz she was born in. Some young girls with referrals to doctors are all refused. 'Go home' (ruch il beit) he shouts at them. He explains to me that if he sees a young girl whose ID reads Hawara, and wants to go to a doctor in Nablus (and has a referral) then he immediately shoves her away (zorek otta). As to my pointing out the fact she has a referral, he says the doctors participate, and request false examinations. We call the Moked, who speak to the girls. That way we learn all the particular stories, one has a serious kidney problem, we manage to convince another soldier (not the one who refused her before) to allow her through and pray he won't notice. So one by one, each time asking different soldiers, we managed to coax some of them into letting some through. Sometimes we managed, sometimes we failed,.Two girls with terrible tooth aches want to go to Nablus because dentistry there is much cheaper, are sent back. A man with his boy, on their way to the doctor, the soldier won't let him through, come look here the man pleads, and 'hands over' his son's head to be examined by the soldier, which he does. The man is allowed through.One disturbing thing if we go again we should look into: soldiers tell Sheli (who is young and looks even younger, and is close in age to the soldiers) that if someone who was allowed to go to Nablus for medical reasons is seen coming back with parcels, the parcels are confiscated, because that meant, according to the soldiers' perception that the claim was false, and that it was a pretext for the true purpose which was to buy what ever they bought. A dozen young girls, all students in Nablus, all have student cards to verify this, live there in the dorms, aren't allowed in, the soldiers say this was today's order, no students allowed through. We don't succeed to change this verdict but leave it to the Moked's efforts. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the soldier shouts that he won't let anyone else through, but the stunned remaining Palestinians wouldn't leave. So he came galloping into the crowd, shouting to leave, to go home, that nobody is going to pass from now on.