Beit Iba, Mon 31.3.08, Afternoon

15:30 - Beit Iba - Reserve soldiers are manning the checkpoint.  3 buses full of children are waiting in front of the checkpoint to enter Nablus.  After 20 minutes, Elisheva calls it to the attention of the DCO who says that they don't have guards to inspect the buses.  However, after a minute, a guard is found and the buses pass through after inspection.

The soldier who inspects those entering Nablus speaks Arabic.  He checks the documents of those entering against a page of numbers and apologizes when 4 numbers of the ID match those on the page and he is required to go and check the ID on the computer in the neighboring shed.  In civilian life, he is a high school teacher.  His soldier friends are not pleased with his conversations with us and he is scolded by one of them and moved to the vehicles checkpoint.

15:45 - 2 soldiers bring a Palestinian boy whom they took out of a private car exiting Nablus.  The soldiers are giving him special treatment.  They stop next to a cement wall on the path leading out of the checkpoint.  They ask him to take off his jacket and show them the contents of his pockets.  They take his document and bring him to the detention area.  A group of hostile soldiers makes sure that we don't come near the area.  Elisheva manages to get there, but the boy only speaks Arabic and it is difficult to understand from him the reason for his detention.  The car in which he travelled, together with 3 men, is asked to stop on the side and the dog trainer with the dog does a careful search in it.  Later, the checkpoint commander Y. explains to Elisheva that there were 2 Palestinian policemen in the car and 2 youths, and the ID number of one of the policemen exactly matched that of a wanted man.  The youth's details were sent for checking.

16:00 - Very few vehicles pass through in either direction.

An adult Palestinian man exits Nablus angered and humiliated.  He shows us his ID on which it is written in Hebrew:  "Goes through every time.  OK."  He says that the officer wrote this but they still stop him because of the last 4 numbers of his ID.  He is boiling mad.

16:30 - The Palestinians report that there is a checkpoint at J'it Junction and very long lines.  When we pass through there later, the junction is empty.  No soldiers nor any vehicles at the checkpoint.