Habla, Shave Shomron, Mon 6.9.10, Morning

The Occupation routine; checkpoints in operation, limiting those going through.

06:40  Habla – Soldiers are present, the gates in the fence are open but not the one to Habla – they’re waiting for the female MP.  Dozens of people are waiting on the other side, as well as horses, donkeys and tractors.

06:45  The patrol with the girls arrives and the gate opens at 06:50.  The soldiers have been yelling to each other the whole time, but later they calm down.  ID’s are inspected before people enter the revolving gate, and again in the inspection building, but crossing is rapid – 20 people in ten minutes.  A donkey pulling a cart, whose driver entered the checkpoint, decided to advance on its own, stressing out the soldiers who start yelling.  They must have feared it would cross without authorization.  The donkey changes direction and walks along the fence; its owner then comes out and puts it back on track.

07:30  Falamya gate – The gate is open; no one going through at the moment.  According to the soldiers only a few people were waiting when the gate opened at 5 in the morning.  The soldiers are reservists – so we have someone to talk to.

07:50  Jayyus north – The gate is closed (it’s supposed to open at 07:00) and there are no soldiers – we phone the DCO and hear in a conversation in the background that the soldiers were sent to Qalqilya because rocks were being thrown.  At that moment they arrive.

Are the soldiers operating the checkpoint the only ones available to “suppress” the rock-throwing in Qalqilya?  Strange; I would think our army had a military force responsible for the “city” who don’t have additional tasks.  Anyway, why don’t they let the Palestinian police in Qalqilya handle it – they do it better that our people, or so it seems.

The gate opens and those waiting cross peacefully.

07:50  The gate closes; the soldiers now have to open Jayyus south.  We continue to Shavei Shomron, to see the new road and check that there’s no checkpoint at Shavei Shomron.

08:10  Shvut Ami – A police car parked on the road up to the site, but no signs of life.

08:30 Shavei Shomron – Soldiers at the entrance to the military camp, but they’re not watching the road.