'Anabta, Ar-Ras, Jubara (Kafriat), Mon 23.3.09, Afternoon

Jubara, A-ras

13:50 – As we approach the Teenim CP, one of the soldiers comes toward us with the keys in order to open the gate to Jubara.

13:55 – we reach gate 753. To the side of the gate three Palestinian, “illegals,” are sitting. The soldiers are checking another young Palestinian. We are asked several questions: “who are you?”, “where are you going?”, “did they let you in at 407?” We answered and are let through to continue west.

Where A-ras CP used to be we found a new CP. On the roads leading from the north and the east traffic-controller strips were set. Three taxi cabs are parked on the side of the western road, and there is a line of cars waiting to pass from the east. The soldiers are checking passengers' IDs in cars coming from the north and some are instructed to further wait on the side of the CP. An army Jeep and and pickup truck are parked in the nearby field and a soldier, holding his rifle with both his hands, is guarding both. Young Palestinians enter the jeep by turn and come out of it a few minutes later. Before entering the jeep each young man is manually checked, instructed to pick up his shirt and is asked a few questions. The men’s ID’s are collected and given to the soldier sitting in the jeep. Every now and than one of the soldiers gets a pile of ID’s from the jeep and distributes them to their owners. One of the young men tells us that he arrived at 13:00, hoping to go to the bank. It is now 14:30, and he still has not gotten his ID back. He said the soldiers were rude (treated them “like animals”), and that the situation has changed since we arrived. He says he missed his opportunity to go to the bank, it is now already closed. At 14:40 he gets his ID back and is released.

Another young man waited an hour and fifteen minutes to get his ID back. The Palestinians told us that checks like this take place every few days at this CP.

14:50 – The soldiers let all the young men go. All the cars drive off, the traffic-controller strips are collected, and the CP is dismantled. 

Anabta

15:15 – we arrived at Anabta from the south. There is a long line of cars heading to Tulkarm. We counted 30 cars south of the junction. The road to the west was full of waiting cars as well. One of the Palestinians opens his window and asks us in Hebrew “do you see how we live here? Like dogs we live here. Why are you doing this to us?” around the CP heavy machinery is at work, causing clouds of dust to rise. Soldiers and commanders walk around among the machinery. Trucks cross the junction. There is only one lane open, and the soldiers are now allowing the cars from the north to pass. The inspection is done lazily, with hand motions while conversing with each other.

15:25 – the soldiers motion the cars from the south to start moving, and they pass without being checked. Within a few minutes the line is cleared… than it starts all over again.