Beit Iba, Qalqiliya, Shave Shomron, Wed 25.2.09, Afternoon
14:50 The new checkpoint on the road next to Shave Shomron and Deir Sharaf, that was dismantled. A photo is attached (I hope it goes through).
14:55 Shave Shomron. Traffic flows freely without inspections. A soldier comes over to Tami, and with a big smile starts a conversation. Someone immediately calls, “Daniel!” – the commander’s voice, who tells the soldier not to talk to us. The soldier replies, apologetically, “I just wanted to say a simple ‘hello’…” Tami tells him (also simply) “Goodbye.”
15:15 Beit Iba. About 10 cars at the entrance; they go through without inspection.
Ten cars also at the exit; inspection mostly of the drivers’ ID’s.
The pedestrian checkpoint: About ten people in the shed for those leaving the city. Pretty empty. But the inspection is rigorous, as usual. Almost no one is entering, for some reason. It is completely empty.
The humanitarian lane is filled up, crowded. The person inspecting does his job extremely carefully.
The checkpoint commander lends a hand. Stands midway in the line, inspects cursorily and passes people through an adjacent lane.
15:40 The shed fills up a little, and another turnstile is opened immediately. The shed for the humanitarian lane is also full. Now the DCO representative comes over to help and move the line faster. The soldiers are new here, and the DCO representative helps them.
16:00 We leave, heading toward Anabta and Jabara.