'Anabta, Azzun, Beit Iba, Eyal, Jit, Wed 9.4.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
Nothing to report, Routine, Calm.
14.40 The Ayal passage with 10 cars and the settlers go through. Azun is closed all along the road. Jit is open and the checkpoint not manned.
15.15 At Beit Iba there is not lines of cars nor are there many and the traffic streams steadily. There are few pedestrians and no detainees
.
16.00 I photograph and the commander who is polite asks me not to do so but I explain that we are allowed to do so. He says he knows but it puts the soldiers under pressure. There was nothing really to photograph so I desisted. The commander is a reservist from Jerusalem. He is an educator of the young and does not enjoy his service and is happy that it is ending tomorrow.
We speak to a Palestinian who has been checked and a soldier comes up to us and asked us to speak to him further off….one of the soldiers who was "under pressure." The man has not been able yet to dress himself or put on his belt but he also wants to move away. We moved one step away and continued the conversation while he puts on his belt.
16.20 We left the checkpoint and there were only 5 cars waiting to enter Nablus. A driver stopped us to ask for help. He wanted to go from Nablus thorugh Ein Bidan but he says there are 20.000 people and cars and they cannot go through. He returned to Nablus and went out through Beit Iba. He asked to try to help the people at Ein Bidan and we said at once and he thanked us. We phoned Tammie and she said that everyone knew about this including the high command, members of parliament, etc. and there is nothing to be done. Afterwards we were told that there was a search for two terrorists.
16.30 Anabta was practically empty.
16.45 The tayaniem passage. We wanted to go into Jubara so as to get to A-Ras but it seemed that there was no key to the gate which has been lost since the morning. We informed Tammie and went on our way home. The next day thanks to Tammie we heard from the morning shift that the key had been found.