Beit Furik, Beit Iba, Huwwara, Jit, Mon 3.3.08, Afternoon

Because of a lack of volunteers on Thursdays, we went
only to Beit Iba and Huwarra.

We passed the "pundak" where all the stores
were closed.  For a moment, we thought there was still a strike of the
residents because of the events in Gaza, but, quickly enough, we realized it
was because of a closure.

The J'it Junction was open.

Beit Iba 14:20
Light traffic of pedestrians.  We stay away
from the exit enclosure, so as to lessen the humiliation of those coming out
and having to put on their shoes and fasten their belts.  The Second Lieutenant
from the DCO checks documents of those passing through the
"humanitarian" passage.  Once he let a whole family through.

A group of six soldiers, with a
"trespassing" student between them, bring him to the detention cell. 
Absurd picture.  According to the body language of one of the soldiers, he was
also not sure that this was such an heroic operation.

The inspection of vehicles was especially slow.  A
truck which we noticed when it arrived at the area of the carpentry shop, took
35 minutes to pass inspection.  The dog trainer was training the dog.

Before we left, the checkpoint commander explained to
us that the length of the "educational seminar" for the detainee
depended on him and only him.  As though we didn't know!

Huwarra 16:15

Closure in the village.  At the entrance of
the checkpoint we noticed a new blue sign which indicated the point where cars
had to stop, in English and in Arabic.  Traffic procedures were appropriate.  A
driver who had been caught on the apartheid road was detained with his car and
asked for our help.  We didn't even know what the "checkpoint law"
might be in this case:  three hours?  six hours?  maybe cancelling his
license?  The DCO representative was surprised:  What, doesn't he realize that
that road is not for him?  We couldn't help.

The peddlers' stalls were operating at the entrance to
the checkpoint.  A few months ago, the soldiers were still persecuting and
beating the peddlers.  So, something good has happened at the checkpoint…

Beit Furik 15:15 

A long line of cars at the exit from Nablus. 
We couldn't see the end as we were a bother to the soldiers.  The drivers who
were asked to get out of their cars obeyed the order to raise their shirts and
turn around again.  The pedestrian traffic was light.

The apartheid roads cut apart the landscape which is
so beautiful in this season.  We see from afar Har Baracha and Itamar, and
don't understand "Why did the Palestinians build their villages exactly
under the settlements," as a soldier asked us once.