Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Tue 11.11.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
14.20 Za'tara. 7 cars in both directions.
14.40 Huwwara.
Little movement and only one lane and the humanitarian lane open....the reason is that it is the memorial day for Arafat. When we got to the checkpoint a man tells us that his brother had been arrested because he had argued with a soldier. When we asked the soldiers they said that he had hit a soldier and therefore had been detained for two hours.
His brother said that this was not so but had a verbal argument with him after the soldier had pushed him. After two hours we reminded the commander that the time had come to free him but he did not hurry to do so. We insisted and the man was freed after two and a half hours.
While we were at the checkpoint we witnessed an "educational act" . A Palestinian was taken from a bus because he had thrown a packet of cigarettes from the window. When we said that we were surprised one of the soldiers replied "Also in Tel Aviv people are punished for throwing rubbish from the car." I wondered to myself. I would like to see how the soldiers guard the cleanliness when they are not in the army.
15.20 Beit Furik.
Also little movement and nothing in particular happened.
16.50 Za'tara. 8 cars north to south.