Irtah and Jubara

Irtah, Jubara: Monday, 20.12.04. AM. Observers: Rahel A., Herzlia E., Roni S., Edna M., Susan L. (reporting)Guests: Zalman A., Jill S., Roni F., Naomi L.(Not all the group visited the same checkpoints, but we kept in touchwith each other).6:50 Irtah Border Crossing.The spanking new, two week old border crossing building looks like aholdover from a movie set: it is deserted, closed, with not a soul orvehicle in sight. But from there, we spy a line of buses, cars andtrucks at the old crossing. It's in use again!Along the way, a number of workers tell us that the building isclosed, they don't know why. We make our way through the wide opengate, Gate 700, past the two cheerful MP's (military police) and see aline of Palestinian men at one of the concrete boulders that used toserve as a crossing point, and is again being used. A number ofsoldiers, including the woman captain who'd been so keen to show usround the new building the day after it opened, stand around, but onlytwo soldiers call on the men to lift up their sweaters and shirts, andcheck ID's and permits. A white jeep, with the DCO rep. arrives, andwe comment on the paucity of soldiers checking. He says he'll help.The captain is uncommunicative today, more rude than friendly, tellingus that she's in charge of both the building and this crossing, andshe's heard telling the soldiers not to talk to us. One comments toone of the visitors, "So, you're taking photos of soldiers beating upkids?!" "No," is the response, "We promised not to take photos ofsoldiers." "But I wish you would," says the soldier, smiling, whilehis colleague adds, "One day, it'll be fine." We learn that a roof isbeing put up over the border crossing building (that couldn't havebeen thought of before?), but that today the Palestinians first wentto the building, only to have to retrace their steps and cross here.Opening of the crossing: 6:15 (again) and not at 5:00. Four or five packed buses, full of families bound to visit detainees,south of Beersheva, pull up in the huge empty lot that constitutesthis crossing. Each person and all belongings are thoroughly checked,including the bulging bags that contain blankets, clothes and foodbefore they can again continue on their way. 7:15 JubaraThe soldiers are relatively "kind" today, there's hustle and bustle atthe crossing, many people coming from the road winding up round thehill above the "apartheid" road, and no improvements on the unpavedTulkarm side, instead plenty of work going on around the still to beopened yellow barrier. In the center of the complex of crossingsstands a throng of jeeps and vans, none of them clearly marked. Aroundthem about a dozen policemen congregate, some in plain clothes, somein uniform, all armed. They are being given instructions by somebody,but none of the soldiers knows anything about them, who they are, orwhy they're there. We drive up to the village of Jubara, where the orchards are ladenwith shiny bright lemons and oranges, and the local people aredelighted to see us. But the peace and quiet speak of both of theisolation and the tragedy of such a bucolic setting on the seam line,a village with no present economic viability and with probably no future. 8:30 As we begin to drive from the Jubara checkpoint, just outside itslimits, but well before Shufa, on the left side of the road, a groupof men with guns is seen. It's the policemen who were being drilled orharangued at the checkpoint earlier! Some stand on the hillock thatdivides the road from the olive grove, some are below among the trees.As we drive past, we see mature olive trees being uprooted by atractor which is digging up the earth on the side of the road. Roadwidening? Nothing so innocent: we learn, later, that the olive treesare being uprooted by contractors, protected by the police. The DCO atTulkarm is left a message. Permits? Whose trees? Who cares? OtherMachsomwatchers, please monitor this latest violation of Palestinianproperty.