'Anabta, Ar-Ras, Jubara (Kafriat), Qalqiliya, Tue 11.12.07, Morning
Empty roads and sparse traffic everywhere
Qalqiliya checkpoint
06:40-07:00 - The encirclement
of the city is off, Isareli & Palestinian vehicles go in and out of the city after being checked by the border policemen manning this checkpoint. A group of young children who go to school in Israel come out running to their transportation vehicles. An attempt to find out how come Palestinian children study in Israeli villages was not successful; perhaps one of the parents is an Israeli citizen; such mixed marriages abound in Qalqiliya and many people who live here carry Israeli IDs.
Road 55
At the entrance to Azzun there are no soldiers, the curfew is off, but the concrete blocks are still there.
Anabta
09:15-09:45 (on the way back from Beit Iba) - Tulkarm checkpoints are manned by reserve soldiers, who are more judicious as a rule than the regulars. On the entrance side no lines at all, on the exit side a fairly short line of waiting cars, moving fast.
Jubara & A-Ras
09:50-10:30 - The new reserve soldiers up at gate 753 (up the village) ask us to wait while they call the Operations Room to find out if they can let us pass. Down at Ar-Ras the traffic is sparse, the soldiers friendly, but there is a dog-handler whose dog checks a taxi thoroughly, apparently to train the dog, not due to specific suspicions.