Beit Iba

BEIT IBA, Tuesday 28 December 2004 AM Observers: Ruth C., Maya M., Elinoar (reporting) colour=red>Since everything seemed to run so smoothly at first, we decided to move on and tour the other checkpoints. Then we found that our happiness had been premature.We become involved in an effort to convince the soldiers to let two men pass to Qusin, a few hundred metres from the checkpoint. To cut a long story short, although they had valid permits, and a permit for their car, they were not allowed to pass here because they were "not on the list". They were told they had to go to Huwwara etc. etc. etc. Sorting all that out would have taken them a couple of days at least and eventually they'd end up right here. Meanwhile their vegetables, all NIS 3000 [about $700] worth of them would rot. H., the representative of the local District Coordinating Office (DCO) [the army section that handles civilian matters; it generally has representatives at the checkpoints ostensibly to alleviate the lot of the Palestinians] insisted that "these are the rules". And the checkpoint commander agreed. We begged, explained, called the army's "humanitarian" hotline – there was nothing doing. We almost gave up, but then some change came over H. We heard him make a few calls, and eventually the men went through. Wonders will never cease. At Anabta we are told things were bad at Sarra. We drove back and encountered a roadblock at Jit. People were taken out of a bus and told to wait. The soldier asked us: "You want to know what the problem is ? There's a serious alert: a bomber is on his way, we know where, we know what," and so on and so on. A settler peered at us, borrowed a cell-phone from a soldier and called somebody. Our paranoia told us he was calling the merry wives of Qedumim [the militant women of the nearby settlement] . This shift also visited Jubara checkpoint, for report please see under the Tulkarm region.