Azzun, Beit Iba, Jit, Mon 10.3.08, Afternoon
15:30 Beit Iba Checkpoint
“Walla, life is hard, look how we live...” says a student as he ties his shoe laces, threads his belt and replaces all the things he had to empty out as he passed the magnometer. Perhaps 50 youngsters in two lines facing the turnstiles, and another line for older people, women and children, moving faster, on the side. Sparse vehicular traffic in both directions. A sergeant at the vehicle checkpoint reports by phone: “Machsomwatch women have arrived.”
All pedestrians entering Nablus are being required to show IDs that are being checked against a numerical list. Two large trucks loaded with cattle feed alongside the road towards Nablus. They have permits, burt the military policewoman says that there are no rubber stamps on the documents. The matter is being checked. The trucks have been waiting half an hour.
An additional truck loaded with oranges has no permit to enter Nablus. The commander is trying to clarify whether he can let it through nevertheless. A private car coming out from Nablus has already been standing ten minutes. The soldier is clutching the driver’s ID. We draw the DCO’s attention and he walks over to the soldier who shortly thereafter lets the car go. The soldiers are new and do not yet know all the procedures.
15:50 – An elderly woman hobbles along with the help of a cane, and crosses the checkpoint. Though she is not checked, she has to walk 300 meters to a taxi.
16:45 – Jit Junction is open. At the entrance to the house on the hill, named Shvut Ami, we see a number of youngsters, male and female. What was once the entrance to Azzun is still blocked by earth embankments topped with barbed wire. A command car with soldiers stands by.