Qalqiliya

Date: 11.11.03 - Morning

Observers: Y. A., N. A., E. K. H. S.

Qalqiliya and environment--cp and general
observations

Qalqiliya Checkpoint -We drove on road no. 6 in the direction of
Nablus to the Qalquilya checkpoint. AT this checkpoint people
arrive in taxis, cross the checkpoint as pedestrians and then board
one of the taxis that wait on the other side of the checkpoint. We
passed through the checkpoint against the orders of the soldiers.
We spoke to the taxi drivers who complained that they are limited
to driving into and out of Qalquilya and cannot drive elsewhere.
Enlisted soldiers check I.D. at a nerve wrecking slow pace. The
weather is cold and wet. There are about 30 men and women in line
who complain about the situation. A pair of Norwegian medical
students try to enter Qalquilya as medical personnel and succeed
only after we request the intervention of an officer of the Civil
Administration who happens to be there. Also there are trucks at
the checkpoint that transfer their goods in the back to back
system.

Sura checkpoint - on Road no. 55 and 60 near Kedumim. This
checkpoint, which is within Palestinian jurisdiction, can only be
crossed by walking one kilometer, like at the Surda Checkpoint. A
soldier who was there explained that humanitarian cases are allowed
to pass in a vehicle, but the woman we saw who was carrying a baby
was not considered a humanitarian case.

Jabra Checkpoint - We continued to north on Rd. no. 60 to
intersection 557 (Shave Shomron) and from there west to the Jabra
Checkpoint which is called by the army Checkpoint no. 407 at the
intersection of roads 557 and 574. From this intersection the road
goes north to Tulkarm and south to Aras, Kfar Sur and Uzon. This
Checkpoint is meant to monitor the entrance into Israel and to
control traffic to Tulkarm and the villages of the West Bank. Again
we ignored military orders and continued and rove along the Fence
and saw the "children's gate" closed in the middle of the
morning. We returned to Jubara. We couldn't find the "farmer's
gate".

From there we drove through the Taibeh intersection to the gate in
the Fence to Tulkarm. This gate services trucks that load and
unload back to back, workers and Tulkarm residents who work within
Israel.