Burin (Yitzhar), Habla, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah)
Habla 13:45 – Mistrustful and nervous soldiers reprimand us not to take photos. An angry girl soldier throws in our direction her opinion: "uglies". A lad from Ramadin in the shed is waiting for his wife. When his wife arrives one of the soldiers comes up to him and tells him in an aggressive manner to remove himself. We continue to Burin. The Jit intersection is manned. We see a military jeep stopping a Palestinian vehicle.
15:00 – The council building at Burin. We met the deputy head of the council, a charismatic lady who conducted a discussion on the issues of: "activity for the prevention of violence against children in the family", "the cleaning of the town streets" and "the planning of a happy event in the town", in which both men and women participated.
She and another council member talked with us about the triple injustice which was caused to Burin by the establishment of the Yitzhar settlement in 1983:
· 70% of the Yitzhar plots of land belonged to the Burin inhabitants
· At the agricultural plots of land which were left to them they are haunted , threatened and offended by the settlers
· The road to the place which is hallowed by them, at the top of the Jabel Salman, was blocked to the people of the town. When, as a reaction, they put up the Salman El Parsi mosque in the village – the Yitzhar settlement managed to obtain a high court order forbidding the Muezzin call to the worshippers from the minaret. The contention of Yitzhar which was accepted was that the call of the Muezzin disrupts the calm of the neighbourhood.
16:00 – We drive to the Huwwara CP. There is a manned post at the intersection in the direction of Itamar. The exit from the checkpoint itself is blocked. Only the lane to Nablus is open.
16:30 – The Zaatara intersection is manned by soldiers at the hitchhikers' and at all the other stations. The intersection is blocked for Palestinian vehicles who wish to drive to Huwwara. They are obliged to take a long roundabout road by way of Jama'in. Because of the blockades a serious road block evolved at the east side of the intersection. Further on, at the intersection to Ariel, there are soldiers at the bus station. Also at the intersection to Emmanuel. Soldiers watch over a single settler woman who, as it seems, is waiting for transportation.
The Habla CP at midday, Thursday 28.4.16
The Huwwara CP – the yellow arm blocks the exit lane from Nablus
The Israeli flag is hoisted on the observation tower at the Huwwara CP
