Beit Iba, Tue 1.4.08, Morning

Place:

Beit Iba

Observers:

Noga Kalinsky, Ruth Cohen

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Apr-1-2008

Morning

7.00 - 8.30
Cars at the Eilyahu gate on the road to the checkpoint and a long line of workers.

At Beit Iba, there is a steady movement of pedestrians entering and leaving Nablus. The commander shows with his hand, on the right not to be inspected and on the left those that are. Also those who are checked pass quickly. The commander asks who we are and that we stand next to him so as to protect us. We get out of this elegantly and go to the checking area. Even though there is a long line at the exit of Nablus the overcrowding dies down. Most of the Palestinians know to take off their belts and it goes more quickly. The commander is again worried about our safety and asks us to stand at the wall. Noga photographs and the soldiers warn her. The commander checked and it seems that we are allowed to do so. The soldiers ask us not to photograph them and we agree. The soldiers are reservists and one of them asks us to stand back 50 metres from the checkpoint as he says we are bothering them as they work. I am obstinate and tell him that we have the permission of the commander. He speaks to the commander and after they discuss it the commander asks us to stand 30 metres away...a few steps back so that there should be no problem and we can still see what is happening. The reservist again tells the commander we must stand back further. The commander does not want to argue with him and starts to measure steps. It is ridiculous. When I am again ask to move I say that I must stand where I can see and that he should not allow a soldier to give him orders. The commander says we should concern ourselves with the regular soldiers who are burnt out as they are reservists who act properly and do not bother anyone and there is no need to check what they are doing.

At the car lane there are 4 cars at the most during out shift. The dogtrainer checks including an empty bus. When she thinks that Noga is photographing her she checks the photos. She says this is an army secret but calms down when she sees that she does not appear in the photographs.

Location Description

Beit Iba

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A perimeter checkpoint west of the city of Nablus. Operated from 2001 to 2009 as one of the four permanent checkpoints info-icon closing on Nablus: Beit Furik and Awarta to the east and Hawara to the south. A pedestrian-only checkpoint, where MachsomWatch volunteers were present daily for several hours in the morning and afternoon to document the thousands of Palestinians waiting for hours in long queues with no shelter in the heat or rain, to leave the district city for anywhere else in the West Bank.
From March 2009, as part of the easing of the Palestinian movement in the West Bank, it was abolished, without a trace, and without any adverse change in the security situation.