Beit Iba

Beit Iba 2.2 AMObservers:: Rina Z, Michalina D (reporting)8.00-9.30Rainy and very cold, which may partly explain the dearth of vehicles and pedestrians. Very sparse traffic.Ambulance passage was rapid. Pedestrians’ papers were carefully checked. From time to time, when the line grew longer (because of the order to check everyone) the DCO representative speeded things up by letting some of the people, older women or men, go through with rapid show of IDs.Throughout our watch there were no detainees, apart from two men, one of them of the “prohibited age.” They wanted to return home to Dir Sharaf from Nablus. The younger one, originally a Nablus resident, recently married a woman from Dir Sharaf and moved there, but has not yet changed his address in his ID. He had a note attesting to the fact that he had requested a passage permit. The commander detained them both for checking by the Security Servic but told us in advance that he wouldn’t let the young man through. When the check was completed he ordered the young man to return to Nablus without trying to ascertain the reasons for his journey. As far as he was concerned, no young Palestinian was going through this checkpoint, whatever the circumstances. He responded to the young man’s pleas aggressively. At our request the DCO officer intervened, checked the young man’s details and eventually let him through.The passage of vehicles to Nablus and Qusi and back was rapid (only five minutes delay).According to the DCO officer on the spot: there is no change in the rules for passage of pedestrians or vehicles. Passage on foot to and from Nablus is permitted to all, apart from males aged 14-25. Passage of vehicles to Nablus is permitted only to those with movement permits for the area who appear on the soldiers’ list at thc checkpoint. In the past few days the old list has been cancelled and the soldiers now have a new list.Shortly, according to the DCO officer, the list of vehicle licence numbers will be abolished and passage will be free for all holders of area movement permits.