Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Tue 4.3.08, Morning
Translation: Hanna K.
According to the reports in the media a day of demonstrations is foreseen in all the areas of the West Bank. We decided to go out nevertheless and to see whether the expectations are indeed going to materialize, and indeed it was a quiet day, without any special gatherings, all along our shift.
We entered by road No. 5 and left it around Punduk, and the traffic was very sparse. The exits from the villages are, as usual, blocked.
7:45 Za'tara/Tapuah Junction - there are two cars from the direction of road no. 5, about 25 cars from Nablus.
At Huwwara village there is a curfew the second day.
08:00 Beit Furik CP -
An especially difficult day, a very active traffic of pedestrians, but their passage is quick, as opposed to a procession of 20 cars leaving Beit Furiq, the drivers are angry and report that they have been waiting for over an hour for the passage.
The soldiers check, as usual, car by car, inside the car, outside the car, the papers of the driver, if there is another passenger in the car he is, of course, checked too, and when a van passes with 6 passengers, they are sent to pass through the turnstiles. The checking is meticulous and slow, the waiting people are angry, from time to time the soldiers take a rest and the cars wait.
We called E. from the DCO who promised to take care of the matter, half an hour later we contacted him again, according to him he urged the soldiers on, but in fact nothing happened as a result.
What has to be pointed out is that the soldiers take great care that we should not cross over the line, our attempt to suggest that another checking lane be opened we answered by an outright refusal. Each car is checked by 3, sometimes 4 soldiers.
09:15 In desperation in view of our vain attempts we left, there were still about 12 cars waiting.
09:30 Huwwara CP -
The parking lot is packed full with cars, but passengers there are hardly any, there are no people at the entrance to Nablus, neither at the exit. There is a thin flow of people in both directions.
When we arrive a truck driver comes up to us and complains that he is not allowed to pass because just on this very day the validity of his permit expired, he is with a truck packed full with milk jars for the hospitals. He has been waiting for an hour and the milk will sour. He claims that at the Qalqiliya DCO a new authorization awaits him but he didn't have the change to get there and take it. Just then Eymen from the DCO arrives and the truck passes.
Cries are heard from the direction of the detention cell, it transpires that the is a detainee there who has been waiting for an hour, he created a commotion at the CP , was impudent towards the soldiers, and is now being punished. The DCO representative calms him down and promises that he will be released soon.
The soldiers are very hostile, especially towards us (although this really isn' t that important) but they take care to explain the rules to us, the white line, the prohibition to take photos, and we explained to them that these are not rules. They retreated angrily.
10:20 We leave.