Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Mon 1.10.07, Afternoon

Natanya translating.

12.50 Za'atra (Tapuach)
11 cars in either direction. The commanders says there are no limitations or alerts and that today he and his soldiers are leaving the checkpoint and it is well that this is so.
13.05 Checkpiont at Burin is empty.
13.10 Beit Furik
Little movement at the CP and the checking is in both directions which is unusual here. A van with a young Chabad arrives with a succah on it and loud music. One of them speaks to us very threateningly. "I will break your camera." They bring the 4 plants to the soldiers. The one shakes the Lulav and the movement at the checkpoint comes to a stop. The commander says it will only take a minute and the Chabad men say the soldiers have to because they are Jews but why should the Palestinians have to wait.
13.40 Huwwara.
Under the sentry tower are three cars which have driven on the apartheid road, Madison which leads to Eitemar and Elon Moreh. There is no sign forbidding this. One driver is a doctor who has to get to Ramallah to operate on a child who had been hurt badly in a road accident. . He has all the necessary documents. We speak to the soldier who are not impressed at the urgency of the matter. Then slowly the soldier climbs the sentry tower where he does something and then comes down to stand guard over the settlers. He passed the drivers without a word. We speak to the commander and eventually the man is freed after 40 minutes, the others at 15.30. One of them says "What is this that the road is not for me? My olive trees are there. They took my land and soon they will take my god too."
The centre claims that there was a sign there but the Palestinians took it down. But we know the area and know that there never was a sign there.
New soldiers are being given a briefing at the checkpoint and so the entrance to the city is closed for 10 minutes. 10 cars are waiting. 3 checking posts one of which has stopped working 15 minutes previously and the pedestrians wait in silence. 2 men say the wait is about an hour to an hour and a half. Women and older men go through the side path which takes about 45 minutes. The young men first go through just taking off their belts next to the x-ray but later they have to do the ritual dance as we are told that now there is more time to check carefully.
Ids and permits are checked at the entrance to Nablus and the passage is swift. At the exit there is the known check with the driver going forwards with the soldier signing him to do so and the passengers alighting and going through on foot while their ids are checked. The car is checked thoroughly sometimes also the engine.
15.07 -A young man is detained because the soldier demanded that he take off his belt while standing in line and he said he would do so when his turn came and has been detained for his cheek. The soldier demands also from others that they take off their belts in the line shouts rudely at the people.
And this is how an incident of stone throwing starts at the checkpoint. One soldier throws a stone. Another sees the stone and calls in the commander and his men who come at a rush.
An old woman greets the soldier with a smile and gets no reply. We meet a person from the Hawarra checkpoint whose family and their sad story we know. Also saw how a prisoner returning was greeted by his happy mother while the soldiers stand with their weapons pointed at them. And it is hard to describe the movement of the hand which the soldier uses to send the women out of the shed as he shouts to them to go outside.
16.00 -Tension as the fast nears its end and everyohne wanted to get home and the soldiers are also impatient. 10 minutes later we leave.
Burin
2 cars and Zaatra 41 cars in both directions at 16.35