'This is not a state that has an army, it is an army that has a state'. [from the French] (Count Mirabeau, talking about 18th century Prussia).
In a free translation of the above quote, it is possible to say that in recent years the IDF enforces 'the law' in the territories of the West Bank, as if it is subordinate to the settlers and serves as their subdivision of operations.
Many IDF soldiers posted at CPs, like many Israeli policemen who have responsibility for enforcing the law, grew up in the settlements and were nurtured from an early age in the schools of thought of rabbis who share a messianic ideology. When we encounter them we see what they do to make difficulties for the Palestinians and hear them justify the deeds by quoting rabbinical decisions about the holiness of the Land, meaning it is all mine / ours, as they back the settlers and defend those who impose terror. These soldiers and policemen stand guard at the entrances to settlements and watch the attackers and those who steal lands. Many other soldiers, simply because of their abysmal ignorance of the history of the state of Israel and of her borders, are certain that the occupied territories (the West Bank) are part of the state of Israel, and they are incapable of distinguishing between the State of Israel and the Land of Israel.
We recommend reading on this issue in the book by Dr. Yagil Levi, From the Army of the People to the Army of the Periphery.
Selections from Reports in the Site
1.
Hawwara, Tuesday, 23/12/08
Observers: Nurit W., Ninette B. and Dina A. (reporting)
.....While we stand and watch, true, from a distance, but we can see the whole CP (we can see, but not hear, we can ask, and try to help); a soldier from the CP approaches us and says: "For an ideological reason I wanted to know why you come here." We answer, and he goes on," If you were serious about this, you should get here at 2 a.m. just as I do." We thought that he had to be there, that he is sent to be there. His answer: "I do not have to be here, I want to be here. I am here in order to protect Mount Bracha, Itamar and Yitzhar." Simple and to the point; sad and disappointing. The full report follows. For full report press here
2.
Hawwara, Sunday, 14/12/08
Observers: Sharon W., Ditza Y.
.... A., the commander who approaches us and is interested in talking to us, is dissatisfied with the new arrangements for inspections that are less meticulous. He fears a terrorist attack. When we agree that there should be very meticulous inspections, but only at the entrance into Israel, he does not understand what we are talking about. "What do you mean - that the territories with Jewish localities, the settlements, are not part of the area of Israel?"
The full report follows.
The settlers, perceived by the security forces in the territories as brothers, while the Palestinians are the enemy standing at the gate and threatening their existence, receive privileged and preferential treatment. For full report press here
3.
Bethlehem, 11/11/08
Observers: Laure, Annette, and Hannah B. (reporting)
.... A settler and a worker arrived and requested that there be an inspection of the worker's handprint. The soldier claimed that he cannot to this and they have to come back on another day. The settler explained that "This will cause me a lot of harm." Miraculously, suddenly everything was possible and the matter was arranged.
The full report follows.
4.
Bet Iba, Sunday, 10/05/09
Observers: Esthy T., Dvorah Z., and Rikki S.
..."There is no passage for Israeli cars in the direction of Bet Iba except on Saturday", says the reservist at the CP. On Saturday, Israeli Palestinians are allowed to go through. "Can we go through on Saturday?" we ask the soldier, who laughs and says: "Maybe, because on Saturday, there are no religious people here, and there is no fear of disorder because of this."
The full report follows.
At the times of the demonstrations and the disorderly conduct of the settlers, as also during the religious parades or the meetings for rituals, the Palestinians who live near the place are the first to be abused immediately and directly.
5.
Hawwara, Thursday, 4/12/08
Observers: Fatchia A., Maya G.-T. (taking pictures), Yehudit L., (reporting and taking pictures)
Guests: Bracha T. and Amos M.
... From the place where we stand in the CP, we see to the west, a thin stream of settlers coming from Bracha and walking in the direction of the square in front of the Hawwara CP. This is not routine. The CP commander appears suddenly and notifies the people that there will now be the procedure of stopping life (halting all the activity in the CP) because of some incidents with the settlers. He tells us to leave the area of the CP. The passage of people through the CP is stopped.
....Today in the afternoon, the settlers' protested (because of the clearing of Hebron) from Bracha and Itamar; when they assembled at the square near the Hawwara CP, that led to "stopping life" at the Hawwara CP. There was a traffic jam that took hours, and no Palestinian vehicles could go through; it was impossible to move.
They showed us an order stating that this was a closed military area - but it was o p e n for the settlers. We were made to leave the place by the Border Patrol and the Police.
The full report follows.
Roads for "only Jews" (Apartheid roads) are a concept that is not to be found in the official IDF lexicon. In practice, however, throughout the West Bank, there are roads on which Palestinians are forbidden to travel, or walk, or to stand at the margins. When we note that there are no signs anywhere making this clear on any of the roads; the soldiers always answer: "the Palestinians know." This is not a whim of the soldiers in the area; these are the instruction of the senior officers, as Brigadier General Gal Hirsch said when he announced proudly that he was the one who closed Road 443 to Palestinian drivers. The soldiers in the area enforce this unwritten law and they punish the "criminals" with detention and imprisonment for hours. For full report press here.
6.
Hawwara CP and Bet Fureik CPs, Saturday, 20/12/08
Observers: Nora A., Vivi T.
Bet Fureik - Is there or is there not a CP? There is no inspection; for cars, the passage is forbidden in both directions for every Palestinian resident. There is strict guarding of the road that connects to Hawwara directly (Madison axis). One person is detained because he drove there. We tried to find out when Commander A. will let him go and in response, A. told us proudly that earlier he held somebody for six hours and even longer because, or in spite of the fact that, he was a Palestinian who got here from California. "What do they want, another murder in Itamar?"
The full report follows.
7.
Hawwara CP, 22/10/08
Observers: Racheli B.-A., Dorit H. (reporting)
A taxi and two men beside it are at the side of the vehicle passage. A representative of the DCO says that they and the taxi are detained because they caught them "dripping" (trying to go around the CP). It seems that they drove on the road between Bet Fureik and Hawwara (the road the army calls "Madison"), and since "everybody knows that Palestinians are not allowed on that road" they were detained at the CP as a punishment for three hours. The DCO representative claims hotly that there is no need for a sign on this Apartheid road, saying that Palestinians are not allowed on it, because, as noted, "they know". The full report follows.
8.
Hawwara, Wednesday, 19/11/08
Observers: Michal S., Sharon L., Racheli B.-A.
The man, and a veterinarian from Nablus, did not know that he was forbidden to travel on the "Itamar" road and so the two of them were detained for an hour and a half.
The full report follows.
9.
Bet Fureik, Hawwara, Awarta, 6/3/08
Observers: Daphna B., Shosh, B., Yehudit L. (taking pictures), Tamar P. (taking pictures and reporting)
There is a queue of 8 cars from Awarta to Nablus and five cars leaving Nablus. Suddenly we saw hands waving at us from the concrete hut at the side of the CP. We approached and found an incarceration hut, without a door, and in it there were 14 (!) young men. All of them were students who had been detained three hours before when they tried to cross the Madison road on their way to Awarta (apparently they were trying to avoid going through the Hawwara CP).
The full report follows.
The CPs are set up to realize a security ideology: in order to prevent terrorist attacks, to locate means of warfare, and to prevent the passage of terrorists, or in order to protect the settlements nearby. These are the reasons that justify the army's circling Nablus with CPs through which, even if the distance is only a few kilometers, the passage can take hours. "Proportionality", the term that High Court Judge Barak invented, should help determine the extent of the harm to the Palestinians' everyday life versus the possibility of injury to security.
The vehicle CP, located on the main road to Ramallah, is an example of a CP which, according to the people who man it, has nothing to do with security and nothing to do with the ideology underlying the establishment of CPs or with the principle of proportionality. The only reason for it to have been set up and to be manned by at least ten soldiers throughout the day and night - is to prevent settlers from making a mistake when they drive. They might enter the refugee camp of Kalandia. There they are likely to have a very uncomfortable welcome (as was shown several times in the past). For full report press here.
10.
Jaba (Lil), Qalandiya, Sunday, 7/06/09
Observers: Roni H., Moran Y. Tamar P. (reporting and taking pictures)
...The CP commander spoke of the importance of warning Israelis / Jews about driving to Ramalla and he took the trouble to bring us the written order of the general who is the source of his authority to prevent the continuation of the drive to the west, even though (and he knows this), Area A is more than ten kilometers from this place.
The full report follows.