Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Mon 10.12.07, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
12.50 Kif al Haras is still closed and cars waiting on both sides of the road.
12.55 Marda is open. Zeita is closed and cars on both sides of the checkpoint.
13.00 Za'tara. 5 cars who pass within 5 minutes.
13.12 Burin. Two jeeps, a bulldozer and an army D-9 are digging at the side of the road. The checkpoint is not manned.
13.20 Beit Furik
At the upper car park is only one car which after a short wait goes through in the direction of Nablus. The checkpoint is quiet and people go through with no problems. One of the soldiers bursts out at us. "Why have you come to bother us. We have already been on our feet for 18 hours. Come some other day." The commander asks us to stand behind the white line but we say we are soon going on our way and he does not insist.
On the road opposite Salem is an armyjeep and next to it three signs to stop but the soldiers will not tell us why they are there.
14.05 Huwwara.
We see an ambulance of the Red Cross which has stopped in the car park. R. the commander also comes and tells us that an elderly woman was knocked over by one of the taxis and her foot has been hurt. She is at once taken to Nablus.
The waiting period is said to be between 2 hours to 15 minutes and one says that today the checkpoint is good and he has waited only 40 minutes. No one bothers us to stay in the sterile
area.
A Palestinian is ordered to put all his furniture through the army X-ray vehicle and goes on to the parking lot.
Now and again belts are taken off and most of the time only IDs are checked. There are 2 checking posts and sometimes a third is opened.
14.30 A large taxi arrives and both the car and the passengers are checked by 4 soldiers...everything is checked. Another taxi arrives and two men are sent back to Nablus.
15.10 The prayer of Mincha which is a surrealistic scene...they pray and continue the checking.
The commander explains the difference between "Braslaviem" and the followers of Nachman (a religious jewish sects)...the latter come with loud singing and give doughnuts to the soldiers. The former only want to get to the graves in Nablus and Beit Furik and have to be stopped.
A corner for humour. A young Palestinian comes to us and asks us to explain an SMS which he received. We look and burst out laughing. He has been asked by his telephone company to pass on the word love and so to give 10 shekel to their 'shir-u'trom' (an israeli fundraising for the IDF) The enlightened occupation at its best.
15.35 Burin.
Here also is an army jeep and in it three signs to stop. Micky goes to the soldiers and they said that this is for the Jews who want to go to the illegal outposts. In the evening we hear that these Jews are being evacuated.
16.05 Zatara. 20 cars which are well checked but not delayed for longed and from the south 8 cars.