Beit Iba, Sun 16.11.08, Afternoon

Summary

It's all fun and games in the OPT today. Meaning? Light amusement, diversions and frivolous activity by and for the army, displaying its culture, its way of doing business, so that Palestinians as well as MachsomWatchers could observe and feel it. Above all, fun and games for the army means no accountability to anybody of consequence.

14:00 Beit Iba

Little traffic in either direction as a change of shift seems to be in progress. Only one turnstile open. Little flow of pedestrians, only three or four women in the fast lane at this time.

The commander, E., a second lieutenant, comes over immediately to complain about where we stand. He has little to do other than to grumble at us. Still, he tells us he will call the police, and proceeds to work with his mobile phone. T., the DCO representative, is in the midst of the vehicular traffic checking area, chatting to two soldiers and two military policewomen. Ten minutes later, he goes over to E., shakes his hand, while E. is still on the phone. Just then, T. notices that the "barrier" placed across the outside lane has fallen. We have made no attempt to cross it and move ourselves nearer to the "action"!  T. replaces it, and things are as they were before... T. chats with us, telling us that "The soldiers are calm, it's the end of university classes for the day," then seems to shrug off E.'s approach to us to inform that he's called the police....

14:15-14:30 -- two lanes now open for the male university students. Clumps of soldiers continue to shoot the breeze, one military policewoman, in particular, walks around non stop, talking very loudly and then finds herself something to drink.... all in a day's work!

Gradually, more vehicular traffic, including container trucks, private cars and trucks, but no buses. More groups of students, and we note, not for the first time, that it is the women who seem to carry more books in English than the men, e.g., "Genetics in Medicine." A look at all books carried by passing Palestinian students at Beit Iba would make an interesting study....

14:35 -- only one turnstile open. No pressure. Not many students. Once again, only four to five in the fast lane.