'Anabta, Qalqiliya, Sun 8.2.09, Afternoon

Summary

There's a veil of softness in the air today as well as
on the
hillsides, covered in pink and white almond blossom below which
pink
and white, as well as yellow and bright red flowers can be
discovered.
But the softness is merely a ruse, a hoax to cover the capricious
and
quirky nature of this cruel Occupation.

12:25 Gate
1393/Habla

A Hummer with a scraper attached drags its way around the
tracking
area of the gate that prevents passage for farmers from their homes
to
their orchards, fields and livelihood. It's after 12:15, the gate
is
closed, until it opens again several hours later.

12:35
Qalqiliya

A truckload of sheep (a double decker), a truck with a horse
and a
mule, as well as numerous cars, one of which bears the welcome
and
unlikely "Hebron Technology" advertising painted all over it.
Up
above, well in our sightlines, the two diggers continue their
illegal
settlement/colonization atop the pristine white hillside near
Zufim.

As for the checkpoint, of the two soldiers, one is seated, taking
his
lunch break, the other bothers us with the usual tales of where we
may
or may not stand. In the empty field alongside the checkpoint four
or
five cars, some with trunks open or bonnets lifted, one police
truck,
one police jeep and a large army vehicle. Stolen
suspects?

Along the route to Jit and Beit Iba, numerous election posters,
mainly
for one of the most nationalistic parties, "National Union" as well
as
numerous vandalized signposts: every time Nablus appears in English
or
Arabic, the letters have been painted over or gouged out.

15:00
Anabta

The line of vehicles continues beyond the junction with the
apartheid
road. But by the time we get to the checkpoint proper, we note
that
things move, and that not one vehicle is checked. The usual coffee
man
tells us how long it's been like this, as do some of the usual
taxi
drivers. Be that as it may, the line soon gets shorter, as does
the
line from Tulkarm, which, for once, is shorter than the line to Tulkarm!

15:10 -- the line, according to the soldiers, is now down to
"normal,"
but there's only so much normalcy that the Occupation can stand,
for
soon after, the soldiers again begin to stop cars and question
truck
drivers.

Just then, a group of private Israeli cars (yellow
license plates)
pesters its noisy way past the long line of vehicles waiting
patiently
in line. With much ado, the cars are parked on either side of
the
checkpoint, and a group of six officers, from different
brigades/units
begins to wander around the center of the checkpoint. It looks
as if
this is an outing of four officers with two "guides." The latter
two
wave their arms and point to the left, point to the right, to
the
hills which are not filled with the sound of music but with the
sound
of Occupation.