South Hebron

South HebronTuesday morning, 7.December 2004MachsomWatchers: Hagit B(reporting in Hebrew), Snunit N (reporting in English)0700- 1000Road 605 Km north to Sansana barrier, 2 vehicles of Border Police, 7 cops (6 men and a woman) by a car with yellow [Israeli] license plate and 4 Bedouins, Israeli citizens. The Bedouins are sitting on the ground and the cops around them. We stop our car to check what happened, at first the BP soldier is telling us : "You've got nothing to do here!" We ignore this and say that we're just looking. In a minute – they release the Bedouins; they get into their truck and driving off. It's amazing what a supervising eye can do.At the rest of the way on road 60 it is the usual and horrifying sight of no people. Apartheid road, the dust mounds decorated with large rocks that prevent the entrance to the road. And today these mounds are particularly fresh and heightened. Few children are going to school – and this is a highway – the dangerous of people crossing the road, especially girls who cross it on their way to school. The traffic is quite sparse, almost no Palestinians taxies. The taxi drivers we're talking to are saying that lately there are less traffic tickets and fines. We're clarifying about the elections and they're saying that no one has done problems to the one who comes with the propaganda. Traffic limitations.Dura - al Fawwar, the junction of Shayuch – Sair, east Halhul – no military vehicles – the fieldboxes are still occupied – "Big Brother" is opening his eyes.Road 35The "Humanitarian" CP [for passage of ambulances and medical materiel] – 2 detainees with their face covered and with handcuffs, and a military jeep of soldiers from the gunners' corps. To our question about how long they're like this the soldier answers, "10 minutes." Who brought them in here? " They were brought from Halhul"What are you waiting for? "We're waiting for the safari coming here to take them to the Etzion DCO [IDF Civil Administration office] for Shin Bet [GSS, Israeli security service] investigation." Why can't you take of their face covers? "What if I get into his village one day and he'll recognize me?" The Palestinian tells the soldier in English – "Don't you believe me that I haven't done anything?" The soldier answers: " I believe you but I'm only a simple soldier and it's not up to me".The Palestinian says that he needs to urinate; I'm interfering and telling him to take him -- but then the Palestinian waives. We feel helpless and know that 1000 phone calls won't help in such case. The safari arrives, the soldiers escort the Palestinians who, as their faces are still covered, it's like escorting blind people, and help them go up at the car's steps. (The safari is a military vehicle that the soldiers are standing in; it has apertures for shooting through). Comment: The body language of the soldiers makes one have pity even on them. The soldiers seem uncomfortable with the situation. Of course, the Palestinians are victims and it's horrible, but look at the shitty situation we're putting our soldiers in… The Palestinians are going back to the safari and we're going back to the soldiers' jeep, where the next dialogue is occurring: One of the soldiers: "Write in your report how wrong it is – please write, they were caught last night, and they spent the night out in the cold with no blankets because no one sent the safari earlier – They read your reports. ("they" being the upper-echelon commanders) What do they want from us? How can we do this? Please write that this is wrong!" So I wrote.Comment:It's been a long time since I felt so horrible and so helpless in a shift. The Halhul – Hebron Bridge – Cars transfer on the bridge is free. The red gate from road 35 is closed. The owner of the glass shop on the bridge is telling us that the election process is progressing with no problems. We meet the UN forces that patrol in Hebron, we exchange phone numbers. They are also not aware any problems with the elections. Idna barrier – open.Road 356 The Zif junction barrier is closed – no unnanounced roadblocks and no traffic – the same mounds and the same apartheid road and the same vacuum. Road 317: the exits from Hirbet Tawani in direction to Yatta are unrestricted but totally muddy. The barrier to Arad is staffed by reserve duty soldiers. Their brigade commander is Ron Shechter, a settler [Jewish resident of the Territories] from Bet Yatir who is the head of the Regional Council [county administration] of Southern Mt. Hebron.Comment: This connection between the army and the settlers is not understandable; it's no wonder you cannot evacuate outposts. The Yatir forest roadblock– staffed, no people; we didn't stop.