Irtah, Jubara, Ar-Ras, Anabta, Sunday AM 11 June 2006 Observers: Naomi K., Sarah B. (reporting) MachsomWatch incident summary:At Anabta Checkpoint, in the direction of Tulkarm, a truck driver tried to run us over, or at least to scare us to death, as we returned to the car. Naomi, who was walking in front, jumped into coiled concertina wire to get away from the fast-moving truck, and cut her legs. The driver drove away quickly. A MachsomWatch badge apparently doesn’t always protect us from the stigma of “Occupying Israeli”, if that was in fact the reason. In the hostile atmosphere of Sunday after the massacre of the family on the Gaza beach, that was how we interpreted it.07:00 Irtah: The checkpoint is fully staffed and active. Perhaps 70 people waiting outside. There is talk of 5500 permits for West Bank residents to work in Israel – a fact which creates pressure at the border crossings. There is general agreement that the checkpoint in its present built up state is preferable to the previous situation. The repeated complaint from Palestinians who speak to us is about the prolonged delay in checking the contents of their nylon bags, drink bottles and so on – delays that sometimes take a number of hours. The procedure calls for entry into a room where the wait is long. We brought the complaint to the attention of Ayad, the representative of the DCO [District Coordination office of the IDF Civil Authority, that oversees passage permits], who refuted the story. According to him there are no delays over half an hour, unless they detect on someone’s hands traces of chemicals that could be used in making explosives. The two versions don’t compute. The workers are taken in to the building in groups of 30 (strings of ten, one after the other). And the next group is taken in as its predecessor leaves the building. A Palestinian told us that, after being delayed two hours, he came out to find that the contractor waiting for him had left. He then had to wait outside until all the day laborers had passed through and it was possible to cross and head back to the West Bank (there is no two-way traffic through the checkpoint).08:00 Jubara: The checkpoint is still closed, under the claim that “renovations” are underway. Activity has moved to Ar-Ras Checkpoint.08:15 Ar-Ras: The Schoolchildren’s Gate is open and Ar-Ras is functioning with a trickle. No special restrictions. Everyone passes, including males ages 16-30, the checks are of a random sample. There is no order about separation of north (Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarm) from south, as there has been in the last few months. The route from Ar-Ras to Jabara through the tunnel road is blocked by high earthworks.08:40 Anabta: In recent weeks Anabta has become the busiest of the checkpoints that don’t enclose Nablus; a lot of traffic and pressure. A conversation with taxi drivers who “promise” us that what we did in Gaza will not be forgotten and that “there will never be peace.” We park by the taxis and walk to the checkpoint. The soldiers say there are no restrictions, just random sampling and the detention [for security background checks] of listed suspects. Incident: On the way back from the checkpoint, as we walked as the side of the road close to the barbed wire, a truck suddenly burst out of the line and drove towards us at high speed. As it approached Naomi she jumped into the barbed wire. The driver turned the truck sharply and sped on towards the checkpoint. A few of the taxi drivers helped me to get Naomi out of the clutches of the wire that was piercing her trousers and legs. When we saw blood flowing, they offered water and cursed the driver. The other drivers turned their faces away. The soldiers were far off and apparently saw nothing.10:00 At the request of Z. we drove to take AY and his son for treatment at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. AY was very grateful to the organization for the help extended to him and his son. He phoned Naomi in the evening to repeat his thanks to the women of MW.Three postscripts: 1. The “room” in the checking process has become for the Palestinians a concept, a kind of nightmare. And they also speak of the inspections as being arbitrarily randomized. 2. The improvement in passage is attributed, as I understand it, to the staffing of the terminal by a civilian company. 3. Regarding the truck driver, it is important to protest the placing of the barbed wire concertinas almost on the road close to the checkpoint at Anabta – making the walk along the road dangerous.