Beit Iba, Mon 9.6.08, Afternoon

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Observers: 
Yona E., Elisheva E (reporting)
Jun-9-2008
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Afternoon
 14:45 Beit IbaThe checkpoint is quiet.  It is very hot and from time to time a wind rises accompanied by a huge amount of dust from the quarry.  The checkpoint commander was tense and created additional, unnecessary tension:  running back and forth, wearing complete battle gear.  There was one detainee in the cell who was released after inspection.  Yonah noticed that the magnometer was beeping even when no one was going through.  So, isn't it logical that it would also beep for no reason when people were going through?  Very few taxi drivers.  Few vehicles enter Nablus.  The porters are not inspected.  You have to get out of the booth in order to inspect, and it is truly too hot. The IDs are taken for inspection from a group of bus passengers leaving Nablus.  The documents are returned after 8 minutes.  One youth is taken off the bus for further inspection of 2-3 minutes and the bus is let through. A few students leave.  We are told that during the first few days there are no formal classes, just registration for courses and administrative issues. 

Two students are allowed through without the magnometer.  They had with them a wooden model of the city of Nablus about 1.5 m. in size.  They were happy to show it to us.

 The commander stops a youth who was fresh to a female soldier..  He had a detailed explanation:  If the other people going through see that this rudeness goes on without any response, everyone of them will think that "Israeli soldiers are garbage"!  I asked if there were instructions on the subject of rudeness and he said no, but he is allowed to act according to his own reasoning.