Beit Iba, Anabta

Beit Iba- Anabta 12.1 AMObservers: Michalina D, Natalia A, Bonny R and Rina Z (reporting)Anabta9.15-9.35 – The checkpoint is closed to vehicles and can only be crossed on foot, the usual situation here. At 9.25 a military vehicle arrives with a lieutenant and three soldiers. They open the checkpoint and the reason soon becomes clear: an army jeep goes through from the Tulkarm direction and the checkpoint is closed again. The Palestinian vehicles continue to wait on both sides for the pedestrians to go through. Several taxi drivers report that a new checkpoint was set up yesterday further down the road to Tulkarm near the village of Bal’a. Licence numbers are being checked there and the wait is not long.When we passed Shavei Shomron we found the road clear without a checkpoint.Beit Iba7.45 – 9.00When we arrived, the commander was shouting, pushng people back. His attitude changed when he saw us. When the DCO representativ arrived the checkpoint began to operate quietly and efficiently, with more rapid passage.Three detainees – one of whom says he’s been waiting an hour and a half. We talked to the DCO representative and 3 were released at once. Vehicles are being checked by two soldiers at the checkpoint in the Kochin direction – all vehicles entering Nablus - ambulances, private cars and trucks – and vehicles entering and exiting Kochin as well as wagons conveying goods from one side to the other and people exiting Kochin in the other direction from Nablus. The outcome – long lines of vehicles, mainly trucks. Ambulances are given priority and then private cars, particularly those of the UN and international humanitarian organizations. The trucks come last. Each is checked against a list.8.05 – 11 trucks in the line for Nablus, nothing has moved for 15 minutes. We suggested to the commander that he send several soldiers as reinforcements. The soldiers do their best, and are sometimes considerate. A driver who wasn’t on the list but pleaded to go into Nablus to fix his expensive vehicle, was allowed in.8.15 – 20 minutes wait for entry to Kochin. An additional soldier arrives to help.8.20 -16 trucks and buses in the Nablus direction. When the soldiers saw me counting, they began letting trucks through.8.45 – 25 minutes wait per vehicle.9.00 –Still 18 vehicles waiting to be checked.