Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Thu 4.9.08, Morning
Translation: Hanna K.
There are not many pedestrians, probably because of the Rammadan.
06:15 - At the Samaria Gate there is no police.
06:15 - The gate at Marda is open and at Zeita closed, as usual.
06:35 - Za'tara -
Completely empty from the west. From the direction of Huwwara there is no car queue, and two lanes are open. The Lamp square is not manned.
A group of reserve officers are on the spot. They ask whether in our opinion there are any achievements to our activity. Of course not. The Occupation continues as well as the enormous CP array, the authorizations and all the other restrictions.
06:50 - Opposite the entrance to Beita there is a Border Police command-car next to which there are 2 transit taxis. A soldiers in the command-car fills out a form with the ID details of all the passengers. When we ask they answer that these are the regulations and we are not allowed to know why this is done.
We called the humanitarian center.
Within 10 minutes the two taxis are released, others are not stopped, and the command-car leaves.
07:10 - Huwwara -
The CP is very empty. Only one lane is open and the passage takes a few minutes.
A soldiers asks Naava to move her car from her usual place near the CP. According to him these are instructions from high-up. Her request to talk to the commander is rejected again and again until we leave, and the attitude towards us is very hostile.
2 Palestinians pass in peace with their tools. One with two pickaxes and the second with a shovel and a spade. They are lucky that nobody thought that these are weapons. However one of them is forced to take off his shoes at the checking. In spite of the quiet and emptiness the sergeant removes from the CP a young man who passed and is waiting for a friend. Why?
08:00 - Beit Furik -
There are 2 cars waiting to passe.
The CP commander asks us to remove ourselves from the CP. When we argue with him he threatens to close the CP if we don't go away. When we say that this is not legal, he says that "this is my place and I am the one who decides".
Naava calls the Judea and Samaria headquarters to find out whether there are new regulations regarding us. A few minutes later the officer calls and says the matter has been referred to the division spokeswoman. Half and hour later the spokeswoman calls. According to her there are no changes. She is prepared that one should call her, but only in matters of principle (I have her phone no. and name)
08:20 - Back at Huwwara -
There are two lanes open and hardly any queue. The turnstiles of the entrance to Nablus are crowded.
It is still Rammadan, but the university is open and there are many students on their way.
09:00 - Again there is a military police command-car opposite Beita, and next to it two transit taxis whose papers are registered. When we arrive they release the taxis quickly and don't stop others.
We again called the center. According to them there are no special regulations in the matter.
Last week and two weeks ago as well it seemed that when we are present they stop this "checking".
It is important to pay attention because it looks like a command-car near which a taxi happens to stand, and not as a rolling CP. They don't put up a barrier but just wave their hand to make vehicles stop, like the police. Quick taxis who are in the course of overtaking or in a quick and dense traffic, are not stopped.