Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Mon 14.1.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
12.35 We go down to the road to Bruqin and Kafr ad Dik so as to see if the blockage has been removed and a man tells us that the day that Bush arrived in Israel it had been taken away.
At Ariel there are no soldiers at the hitching post and many people waiting for a lift.
12.50 Tammie C. had asked us to speak to M. from Marda. The western gate which had been the main one has been blocked for 8 years to cars but people could still get to their lands or the main road. But last Sunday it was blocked by barbed wire which does not allow people through at all. Someone has torn a part on the side and there people go through. M. says that there is an agreement with the army about opening another gate in the centre of the fence which encircles the village so that the agricultural workers can get to the land but this was not done. We will send photos. IN the meantime this affects the framework of their lives and we should follow this up.
13.25 Za'tara. 3 cars and no detainees
.
Opposite the entrance to Beita is a police jeep protecting a water tank?
13.35 Beit Furik is quite.
The drivers at the parking lot say it is a good day. One of them says the checkpoint opens late and causes problems. We phoned the humanitarian centre and asked them that the hour of opening be fixed and not later then 5.30 am.
At the entrance to the checkpoint we met the DCO representative, Y. going towards a taxi with a young girl and one of the soldiers. The girl was ill.
Pedestrians pass quickly and cars leaving Nablus are quickly checked. No delays.
14,15 Awarta.
An ambulance enters Nablus and two wait to leave. 5 trucks at the exit.
14.25 Huwwara
Two peole with two goats which they are holding by their ears wait next to the hut at the car lane. They cannot go through the pedestrian lane with the goats. The soldiers are in doubt but the DCO decides to send them through immediately. S. asks. Do you know how much they cost? Another asks...alive or dead.
One man says he has waited two hours and another says 15 minutes. The humanitarian lane is full of life. R. from the DCO gets to work and immediately the line passes quickly. He says that the universities are now open and therefore there are more people.
Only two lines and we look for the commander Y. to find out why and by the time we do there are three lies open. It turned out that one of the soldiers had been taken ill and it took a while for the change of manpower to kick in. 3 dogtrainers arrive and one immediately goes into action. A private car is then checked for 20 minutes. The passengers stand a way off but they are not told to turn their faces away while the dog checks.
15.00 A taxi arrives and the passengers are sent to the x-ray. 3 doors are opened and the dog and three soldiers check for 5 minutes and the car goes on its way. Most cars are checked for 5 minutes.
There is a detainee, His father goes to R. of the DC0 and it appears that the young man's ID is similar to that of a wanted man. I give these details to the Operation Department and he is freed in five minuets.
Our shift was shortened for personal reasons.
15.35 Za'tara
From Nablus are 40 cars with two lines working and only IDs checked. A bus is detained and the driver says they have been there an hour. We see the dog checking and people getting back into the car. From the west are 15 taxis.