Jubara

Watchers: A.K., a guest from Beer
Sheva; G.K., S.C., R. K. and A.H. (reporting). Tulkarm checkpoint,
14:30. The back-to-back loading procedure of trucks transferring
goods was going all right. There were no queues and no detentions
by the soldiers of the Nachshon Brigade.

Jubara checkpoint, 15:00. There were hardly any people at the
checkpoint. Whoever comes, goes through. At the northern part of
the checkpoint there are more people waiting, cars too, but
movement isn’t delayed and the two soldiers standing at the
checkpoint are inspecting efficiently, by the book.

A Palestinian man came from Tulkarm and asked to go to Jubara; he
didn’t have documents proving that he lives in Jubara, only a
request form. He was taken care of by the commander of the
checkpoint, a Reserves lieutenant named On. Lt. On had phoned the
MaTa”K (DCO) and arranged for a permit for that evening and also
arranged a meeting with the MaTa”K for the next day (today) in the
morning, with the Palestinian’s name noted and the request form
already signed by Lt. On so that the man wouldn’t be delayed there
and could go directly up to the window of the MaTa”K.

At 17:00 when we were about to leave, a bus arrived and let off 15
Palestinians. They told us that they had been detained at the
checkpoint since 07:00, and at 14:00 a bus took them to Eyal, and
now was returning them.

By now, with Lt. On having left the checkpoint, Second Lieutenant
Niv handled this matter, and after 20 minutes the Palestinians were
released to their homes. During their detention, no one took care
of providing them with water, and certainly not food.

Two young teens were separated from the rest of the group and were
held on the side, guarded by a soldier named Natan. They were being
detained by the ShaBa”K (GSS) until someone would come to take them
away. They were considered suspicious. One of them, whom we were
told was 19 years old and looked like an underdeveloped boy of ten,
whimpered the entire time. His friend said that the boy had been
beaten. We didn’t see this, and Natan the soldier, before we
approached, brought them coffee to drink and conversed with them.
When we left, at close to 18:00 in the evening, they were still
sitting there.

The next morning, I tried a number of times to clarify with Lital ,
the operations officer for the Shechem brigade commander, whom
we’ve found to be usually inclined to help to the extent that she
can, what was happening with the two young men. She was busy with
urgent incoming activity alerts and asked that I get back to her
later. I intend to do so.