Tarqumiya

Tarqumiya Wednesday morning, 8 December 2004Observers: Haya H., Dana L.(reporting)Arrived at 5.40. Left at about 7.00About 100 Palestinians passed through while we were there. The two soldiers on duty were efficient and fair. Nobody was detained.However, at first the soldiers weren't very polite towards us. After engaging them in a friendly conversation, they told us some of the MachsomWatch women tend to behave very aggressively towards them right from the beginning and with no apparant reason. To such women they tell to step aside [away from the CP checking area] whenever they come. They also said we 're reporting only unpleasant incidents. Of course we corrected their misconceptions...Comment to MW: So maybe we should always try to be nice [toward soldiers], at least at the beginning, and that'll serve the Palestinians better...We also observed them from a distance, and they kept on doing their job properly.At about 7.00 -- buses and police escorts arrived on time to take the prisoners' families on their visits [to prisons within Israel].