Others

Dir Balut checkpoint, Thursday morning,
28.8.03 Observers: YE, NE, MB, TG, HT The checkpoint is in area C.
a few km. east of the green line, south of Rosh Ha'ayin, and sits
on a 4 road junction, manned by 3 soldiers on ground and 1 in the
tower. No closure today. As we arrived there was a long line of
Palestinian cars detained by the soldiers from passing. No permit
is needed for Palestinian ID pedestrians or for Palestinian plate
vehicles. The soldiers perform routine checks, and the situation
almost seems "normal", hiding the tremendous difficulties
behind the impossible location and network of settlers' roads. With
the threat of the separation wall, the situation is unbearable. The
road to the west leading to Dir Balut is blocked by concrete blocks
and barbed wire {direct instructions of the Chief of Staff} for
security reasons, leaving the village inhabitants with no asphalt
road to come and go. In emergency cases the ill and wounded are
transferred "over the blocks" into an ambulance. The road
to the east - for Jews only - lead to 2 settlements: Pedu'el and
Alei Zahav. The road north towards Qalqiliya is crossed {from west
to east} by the main road. From the southern road Palestinians can
travel in roundabout ways, crossing more checkpoints towards
Ramallah and Jerusalem. Dir Balut with Rantis and Rafaat belongs to
the southern part of the Qalqiliya area . After the building of the
Wall it will be "swallowed" into Israel as a disconnected
island of an unknown status. A Palestinian policeman living nearby
{whose perfect Hebrew was a result of imprisonment during the first
intifada) and his friend complained about vile and abusive language
from the soldiers. They were worried about Monday when the school
year begins and about the rainy season when the people of Dir Balut
will not be able to pass through the soggy fields.