Huwwara North & South

Huwwara (North and South)Wednesday 9/2/05 PM Edna K.,Elat B.,Deborah L.The shift was from 13:45 to 17:30 SUMMARY: A rather smooth day at Huwwara. Not that many people passing through from the south to the north. The north had a steady flow with a 100 plus people around 15:30 for about a half hour. There were always enough soldiers checking and DCO was very responsive both at the checkpoint and, when there was a need, by phone. The checkpoint at Tapuach had some traffic at 13:45 and even coming from the west cars were stopped and the soldiers looked carefully at each vehicle and checked IDs of certain people. On the way back at 17:30 there was virtually no traffic there.There was a "flying checkpoint" at the Itzar intersection (Route 60 where it meets the road to Huwwara)the whole time we were there. We found this troublesome because everyone who had to pass through there had either just been through the Huwwara checkpoint or the checkpoint at Tapuach. The waiting time was anywhere from 10 minutes to a half hour. Those under 25 were sometimes held for a half hour or more and our coming and checking from time to time seemed to hurry things up in those more difficult cases. Sometimes there was traffic waiting in both directions and sometimes just going west. The number of vehicles waiting on line at any one time was anywhere from 6 to 15. We were told by a bus driver that the road for Palestinians between Sarra and Beit Iba was impossible to travel on because of all the heavy rains yet they were not allowed on the direct road. Elat is trying to see who can help with this.There was one particular problem that was unusual and the shift in the morning told us the same thing had happened when they were there. Students who had come from Nablus and had already been stopped and checked in the North were then stopped again in the South and detained there. We got Olig, Raad, and Bissan involved in this because the officer in the South did not respond to our questions. They were finally released but since their IDs had been called in, it all took some time. The computers in the North have really cut down on detainees there. There were maybe 5 the whole shift and they were released with in a half hour. In the south there were detainees from time to time for no more then an hour. Men between the ages of 16 to 25 were the target.A young man of 22 with his two nieces from Balata were on their way to Jordan but were held up for a half hour even though they had some kind of permit showing they had tickets. The officer claimed that kind of evidence can be bought for 10 shekels by anyone.When Elat was left in Huwwara while Edna and I went back to the flying checkpoint at the Itzar intersection, the Major General for the Center and the brigade Commander and his group(about 15 altogether) appeared at the Huwwara North checkpoint. This was about 16:00. They stood about 10 meters south of the checkpoint and the soldiers continued their work as usual. It is possible that vehicle traffic from the south to the north was stopped. The group observed for about a half hour. They did not check what was happening north of the turnstiles. They asked Elat how she got there, how often did she come, what her job was outside of MW etc. Elat took the opportunity to speak out about her opposition to the occupation, the checkpoints and the harrassement of the Palestinian population. When the General tried to explain or defend the army's position, this only served to increase Elat's passionate attack against them. Later when we asked the soldiers what the Generals had to say about their work at the checkpoint we were told by one that the criticism was that the soldiers moved the lines too quickly and that this was not safe. At Huwwara South the turnstile is still not working so people have to wait outside the roof even when it is raining. The puddle near the southern checkpoint that is right in the path of the people walking from the north to the south is still an obstacle . I will send a complaint to Edna M. about this. Elat had wanted to talk to the Brigade Commander about this when she had the opportunity but the Major General did not let her.