Beit Iba, Tue 1.1.08, Afternoon

Beit Iba 15.30

No lines of cars nor pressure of pedestrians because of the university vacation, the New Year of the Christians and the "Day of Fatah"…the day on which the movement was formed so Sami tells us. There are no detainees but there is an innovation which is meant to show that the checkpoint is here for good and that is a magnometer which for some reason only those having to empty their pockets go through and to take their belts off. For some reason parcels are not sent through but gone through by hand and so that time of checking is lengthened.

A young man gives the military police his ID and takes off his belt, wallet and money and goes through and the military policeman shouts at him to return and also to take off his coat which he does. Again he shouts at him…to lift up his sweater and shirt which he does as a dancer and turns around 3 times. He then goes through and for some reason does not seem amused at this.

An old woman with three parcels in each hand goes to the area between the magnometer and the road. The commander who in the beginning had made a good impression on us, screams to her to go all the way back to the magnometer and she does so. We think that he must have been confused.  Why make her go back all the way as she had probably made a mistake but he says that she knew and had done this on purpose. And if so? She had been the only one to do this and it had been hard for her to stand in the line. She could have been his grandmother and they are also humans. He agrees with this so maybe there has been some gain.

The first sergeant tells us that because of the limitations of the trucks exiting Nablus do  not apply to trucks with food, meat, vegetables and gas.

16.30 We leave.