Huwwra North & South, Beit-Furik

Huwwara North & South, Beit-Furik, Saterday, 15.01.2005, AM Observers:: Hanna B, Hava H, Naomi R, Michal S, Miri Z, Amalia V, (reporting) Tapuah junction 40 cars waiting to go south. Huwwara south As usual in the past few weeks, the turnstile is not operating and people are going round. Traffic is lowing, women, children and men over forty are let through without stopping. Men under 40 are checked but there are not many delays and detainees are soon released.Huwwara north People go through the turnstile and are computer-checked. Passage is rapid. Soldiers talk quietly and sometimes even greet the people. An unusual sight in the detainees’ pen – two women, a baby and two small children. We can’t communicate with them for lack of Arabic and while we were trying to summon one of our group who speaks Arabic, the women were released.A soldier we approached told us to talk to the commander. The latter was very polite and answered al our questions. He said one of the women had been carrying a small knife (she said it was for picking fruit), and the knife was confiscated.The x-ray van almost entirely blocked passage, and the roadway was slippery and muddy because of the rain. We asked for the van to be moved and he promised to do so later.Beit Furik A group of soldiersat the checkpoint who are new and don’t know about Machsomwatch. They were suspicious but not hostile. Palestinians go through fast and without delays. One man was in the detention cell and was due to be taken by the Security Services. A doctor who arrived by car with his family was allowed through without the vehicle which did not have a permit. All our attempt to help failed.We drive towards Elon Moreh because of reports that the settlers have been harassing the local population. Apparently it occurs less on Saturdays. North of the road to Elon Moreh a very deep ditch crosses the fields, the aim being to prevent passage of vehicles and people. We met two shepherds leading flocks, and one of them told our driver about harassment by settlers who bat up shepherds, and sometimes steal sheep, load them on trucks and take them off to Itamar and Yitzhar. They sometimes hit the sheep and have killed sheep and goats.