including Anata

Anata, Az- Za'ayyem, Al Ezariya, the Container, Abu Dis Tuesday 11 January 2005 AMObservers: Michaela R. & Yehudit S. (reporting)06:30 Anata – As we parked, a taxi driver told us that an additional line had been created for cars - a good thing. However, from some distance away we saw that considerable congestion had formed. In each line, two Border Police soldiers made intensive checks of baggage compartments and inside the cars. At 07:10 a Border Police woman soldier took two blue (Israeli) ID cards to be checked – they belonged to the driver and passenger of an open truck that was loaded with open white sacks. The goods were checked with a magnometer, the driver was asked to park in the yard near the sentry-booth of the checkpoint and to unload the sacks. A dispute broke out between the driver and the woman soldier – she also took down a large can of what looked like paint, and examined it with the magnometer. She left the ID cards to be checked by another Border Police soldier, mentioning that ”He didn’t talk nicely”. To us, the delay looked like a punishment. At 07:30 their IDs were still being held, and another woman soldier was copying the details onto some form, we couldn’t see which one.When we crossed the road to talk to the Border Police soldier who was checking the case, S.N. turned up and asked us forcefully to stand outside the checkpoint. We stayed close enough to see that the two passengers were being asked to sign the form. They both told us that they had no idea what they had signed on (the form was probably only in Hebrew, which is the usual case). After they signed, they received their IDs and continued on their way. One of them said to us that they’ve had enough, they would rather be dead. We tried to get close and see the form, but we were told to move away from the checkpoint.Checks of pedestrians going through the checkpoint in great numbers, were performed in front of the turnstiles. An older man turned to us and said “Like in the abattoir, like cattle to slaughter” and entered the line for the turnstiles. We heard a similar complaint about the sense of humiliation from another man, in the same place – he asked “This is peace?”.Children’s backpacks, including those of junior school children, were thoroughly checked. A young fellow, not yet 16, who had no identifying document was refused passage. Anther one with a forged tasrich (permit) tried to get through, but was turned away by a Border Police soldier. The boy smiled, and the checkpoint commander, who re-examined the tasrich allowed him to cross. A Transit van transporting handicapped people was allowed through without any checks.07:45 Az-Za'ayyem – From the main road we saw just two pedestrians, and there were no Transit vans. We went a little way into a yard with a house, and saw that large-scale earthworks have been carried out on the hill over the wall. We have no idea if they are going to build there.08:00 Al Ezariya - Six yellow cabs were waiting, one for checks. No detainees: we continued on to the Container, via the old road.08:15 – The Container – A military jeep, with two women Border Police soldiers. Only one Border Police soldier was checking the Transit vans. Inside the checkpoint were six soldiers, men and women. Vans and buses were waiting in both directions, with a long line of cars coming from Bethlehem. Only a few pedestrians – they were going through the lane parallel to the turnstiles.A bus belonging to the Abadiya-Ta’amra company en route to Bethlehem, was detained. The driver got down and his papers were checked, and at 08:30 a young passenger from Bethlehem was taken off the bus. The bus was then released, but the young man was detained. From this point on the usual chain of detained pedestrians began (students and non-students). We stood by the detainees’ shack, and when we tried to speak to one of them, a Border Police soldier called out to us “Excuse me, don’t talk to the detainees”, 08:34, another pedestrian on his way to Bethlehem was detained, followed a minute later by another one.Vehicles from both sides were checked, some very thoroughly (including removing baggage form the car) others – papers alone, while yet others weren’t checked at all. At 08:40, another Border Police soldier joins the checks of vehicles coming from Bethlehem – because at that point close to 40 cars were waiting. We went to talk with the checkpoint commander and ask him to open another lane for vehicles. He said “There aren’t enough personnel to deal with another lane:. We asked why he himself didn’t join in checking the vehicles, but he said his role was to supervise the work, not to check – though while we spoke, a woman soldier from the Military Police was snoozing, and the drivers were irritated in the extreme. A Transit van driver, who was transporting a handicapped man, a double amputee, tried to cut through and create a second line - causing an unimportant accident. The taxi driver asked to speak to the checkpoint commander, but he was unwilling to listen and instead shouted at him “Get on out of here” and pushed him back with both hands. 08:55 Another detainee was removed from the Transit van that came from Bethlehem, and at 08:57 another one, this time from Sawahre. At 09:30, there were already 10 detainees, but two of them were quickly released.09:10 – Michaela phoned Eldad Shizaf – the Border Police A-Sawahre battalion-commander. Apparently he immediately phoned the checkpoint commander – who freed up the line coming from Bethlehem, which started to go through one after the other without checks. Only private vehicles were checked but they were quickly sent over.09:25 – Another taxi tried to open an additional line. The checkpoint commander sent him back with a shout, and carefully made sure that only one line remain, closing the other line in the checkpoint with yellow plastic. At 09:30, ten detainees were still standing. After closing the second line, the checkpoint commander sat in the centre of the checkpoint chatting with the woman soldiers. At 09:35 we phoned Eldad again, and Michaela told him about the line of 30 cars. He said he would come at once. Michaela asked him about the detainees, and Eldad said it was the field of the GSS (Shabak) not his. The representative of the District Coordination Office said the same. The detainees had been waiting for more than an hour. The second line, which had opened for five minutes, was closed again and eight vehicles were waiting to cross.At 10:10, we left the checkpoint and as we drove along the old road, four jeeps drove in the opposite direction – one with Eldad Shizaf, and three army jeeps. We wondered whether to return to the checkpoint – Eldad phoned Michaela and asked where we were, adding today’s password – “There was an alert”.10:30 – Abu Dis, the Pishpash. A Border Police jeep with two Border Police soldiers at the entrance to the monastery, People with permits crossed at the gate, others did so by other means – life being stronger. Taxis are once again waiting at the petrol station