"Fabric of Life" and the DCO

 

"The District Coordinating Office will manage the civil affairs in the area... providing for the welfare and wellbeing of the population, ensuring the function of public services, and considering the need to maintain proper administration and public order."

(from edict no. 947 of the military government)

 

This definition of the duties of the civil administration (the 'laundered' name for the military government) was to maintain a reasonable 'fabric of life' for the Palestinians. The state of affairs in the Occupied Territories, however, clearly shows the destruction of life fabric.  A normal fabric of life is possible only to the extent that freedom of movement is assured, and the Palestinians have no such freedom of movement.

Their entire everyday life-routine depends upon various permits issued by the regional offices of the civil administration (DCOs). Machsomwatch members' monitoring these offices shows an intentional policy of not providing this service or turning it into an ongoing nightmare. What appears to be inefficiency is in actual fact a most effective mechanism of restricting Palestinian movement. It is a brilliantly efficient form of dominance and oppression - no less efficient than the movement restriction in themselves.

There are perhaps explanations for the need to regulate entry into Israel itself, but the necessity for permits for any motion of Palestinians within the various regions of the Occupied Territories proves that issuing the permit is rather a 'privilege' depending upon the applicant's proving a 'justifiable reason' for wanting to move from one place to another. As a result of this approach, the procedure of issuing permits is not transparent or clear, and is conceived by the civil administration as an exception, to the rule that denies all Palestinians any movement.

The magnetic card, issued by the civil administration, is supposedly an identification card with fingerprints and fundus of the eye photo. In actual fact however, this card has become a 'clean bill' without which no other permits may be issued such as those for trade, employment, medical care etc. Not every Palestinian receives such a magnetic card. Two years ago, when these cards began to be issued, the administration claimed they would be re-issued automatically. Lately, however, we have learned that many of the card holders are required to renew them. In addition there are many new applicants. This fact brings an enormous number of people to the DCO offices, arriving there in the wee hours of the morning in order to get ahead in the waiting line and obtain the desired card.

It is very hot today today. The air-conditioning in the waiting room does not function. About fifty people are waiting, some having arrived at dawn. They all need a magnetic card. The Palestinians have prepared a neat waiting list. We complain to the authorities and propose: "Perhaps you should check who is blacklisted by the GSS (General Security Services) and not eligible for the magnetic card so that he may be sent away and spared the waiting time?" The explanation we receive is that "Since June 1st, GSS-prevented Palestinians also receive magnetic cards".

Five minutes pass and a young man comes out telling us he has been denied the card. The document he holds bears the note 'GSS-prevented'. We complained again and after a while were told of a quota of GSS-prevented applicants to receive the cards, and this quota has filled for the day. 'They should come again tomorrow.' Today he is a threat to Israeli security. Tomorrow - if he manages to make it into the quota - he will no longer pose such a threat...

 

An announcement is posted in the waiting room: from tomorrow until Thursday the DCO will be closed to magnetic-card applicants. The soldiers will be away on a seminar - learning to improve the service provided for the Palestinians. And why was the notice not up days ago? And how will the Palestinians know there is no point in coming tomorrow at dawn to try and get their place in line? 'They know', 'the Palestinian DCO has been notified', 'the people already here know and the taxi drivers will pass the word around'. We tried to find out why the GSS-prevented  are not identified in advance in order to let them go early. The Ministry of the Interior, for example, has a clerk whose sole duty is to hand out waiting line numbers to the people according to their various needs, and to make sure they hold the necessary documents. Why not the DCO? Why not check the ID numbers of those waiting in line and inform them whether there is any point in waiting, perhaps hand out numbers so people can go have breakfast or lunch? Why?

(Etzyon DCO, June 22nd)

 

The bureaucracy does not accommodate changing needs. Even when there are hundreds of people waiting, only one or two windows are manned. The population's needs are not a criterion considered in this matter.

• The numbering machine for the waiting line is placed beyond the entry turnstile - where the Palestinians have no access at all when they enter the DCO - is this unintentional?  Or perhaps quite intentional?
• If it is known that on a certain workday only a given number of applications will be processed, and the demand exceeds this number, no work post will be added. 'They' should come here again and again, for 'the natives' time and their economic conditions are of no concern to the administration.
• If the telephone number posted on a sign in the waiting room would ever answer, one would assume that the civil administration is genuinely interested in providing service and considering the public needy of it...
• A booklet in Arabic explaining to the Palestinians how to deal with the permit system would free them of uncertainty - but forty years of Occupation have not been time enough for the production of such a booklet. By mere chance? Perhaps uncertainty itself serves Israel's domination of its Palestinian non-citizens**?
• The fingerprints of physical laborers are often very blurred. One could place state-of-the-art technology 'for the welfare of the population' at the checkpoints to check fingerprints. But the Palestinians are sent by the dozens to wait for hours at the DCO offices just for this. Why? Because there is no intention of providing them with service!

ATTENTION, HUMANITARIAN HOTLINE:

On our last visit there, the 'humanitarian' gate was opened twenty minutes before our arrival, and we waited another twenty minutes until it was opened again. In other words, the gate was closed for forty minutes in peak hours. People recognized even by the Occupation authorities as needy of 'humanitarian' treatment had to wait nearly an hour just to pass on to an internal waiting line to access the checking sleeve. The 'humanitarian' line - whoever gave this gate such a surreal name? Why does it not move? Why do the elderly, the ailing, women children and babies have to wait, standing, all this time? This trouble, as always, is purely man-made.

Explanation - at peak hours one or two officers/policemen are needed to direct the people waiting to be checked in the inspection sleeves in an orderly fashion. Precisely in these hours, they sometimes disappear, all of them. No one there.

The approach to the regular turnstiles - those intended for the young and healthy male populace - is remote-controlled by a male or female soldier seated in a glass-enclosed post. Apart from the 'humanitarian' line the gate to which is opened manually. The people entering the 'normal' turnstiles are already in much of a hurry, looking for an available checking lane, and discover that there are few people in sleeve no. 5, the one intended for 'humanitarian' cases. So they, the 'normal' applicants join the inner waiting line for women. Whoever is supposed to keep an eye on things and make sure the 'humanitarian' sleeve would serve the ones for whom it is designed, the person supposed to open this gate - vanishes precisely when pressure is at its peak.

Every morning the 'humanitarian' gate is opened for only two hours to allow women, children, the ailing, the elderly, and medical staff through. And then, just then, no officer or policeman is present and the waiting desperately and helplessly watch as the younger crowd pass first. After our repeated appeals to the army's humanitarian hotline, the police, officers and soldiers arrive and everyone is finally here. All this on a quiet morning in which mothers holding babies have waited for a whole hour while our 'boys' sat around comfortably in their inner rooms. We assumed that at the 'humanitarian' line people would wait less. In fact, the weaker wait more?

(Qalandiya, June 22nd)

 

The denial of freedom of movement perpetrated by the Occupation is inhuman and a violation of the law. At the checkpoints and the DCO offices bureaucracy is practiced for the sole purpose of further impeding the Palestinians' movement in their land.

And to the actual point at hand - no improved conditions will solve the problem.

The only solution is TO PUT AN END TO THE OCCUPATION.

Closure was imposed on the Occupied Palestinian Territories during most of this month - as it spanned Israel's Commemoration Day, Independence Day, the visit of American President Bush and so on and so forth: holidays and special days. Injustice at the checkpoints was meted out quite as usual.

Courtesy and good manners... An instruction has been posted ceremoniously at some of the (soldiers') posts: "No phoning for non-operational purposes, and that's an order!" In this spirit... the woman-soldier at checking post no. 7 was on the phone for no less than 35 minutes, and stopped only after the DCO representative agreed to ask her to stop. Shortly thereafter, he disappeared and the woman-soldier at post no. 1 got on the phone. We were not witness to the end of this conversation even as we left 30 minutes later. (Bethlehem, 20.5)

 

One checking post is closed of the three operating. The pedestrians crowd in two waiting lines. So far they have reported waiting for 30 minutes. From now on they'll have to wait longer. The MP women carry on their screeching and singing, and the male soldiers join with their roaring-signing, laugh their hearts out, and the Palestinians don't quite understand what this is all about. (Huwwara, 4.5)

 

Bethlehem Crossing - A friendly crossing - The children who needed to cross here were rejected on various pretexts following certain procedures which were concealed from us. One cannot win: holding a permit and an original birth certificate, one will be told the children are too old; if they are within the eligible age limits, and have a birth certificate first they were told this was for children under ten years of age, then they found out the limit was thirteen) they still will not be allowed through, as the adult accompanying them holds a 'work permit' only, or a 'trade permit', and after all, "they are not going to work with the children!" If the hold no original birth-certificate, merely a photocopy, nothing doing... The male and female soldiers manning both posts are very gruff, shout, disregard people. The woman soldier spends most of the time on the phone in spite of the sign hanging right above her head prohibiting use of the phone during "work" hours... A security guard runs around, shouting, forcing people into single file, refusing to let children in and not willing to listen to any Palestinian. Suddenly several tourist ladies arrive, wanting to go to Bethlehem. He stops the Palestinians in line waiting to get into Israel, and tells the tourists to cross. They wonder: "Why should we go first?" pointing to the Palestinians waiting on the other side. He replies: "Because you have passports and they don't". They cross, embarrassed, while the guard hisses: "We do them a favor and they complain!"

We request to speak with the checkpoint commander, who arrives and barks at us:

"You must not interfere, you are creating a disturbance. I don't want to talk to you, you violate procedures, I'll summon the police!"

• - "Perhaps you would explain to us what the procedures are regarding the children?"
• - "I mustn't disclose military information."
• - "Talking of procedures, no smoking is allowed in public places. Why are you smoking here?"
• - "That's my prerogative!"

(Bethlehem Checkpoint, 30.5)

 

A checkpoint has been removed, and lo! - there it is again -

A resident of Assira al Shamaliya village has called and reported that since this morning, a jeep with several soldiers has been standing about 200 meters away from Checkpoint 408. This checkpoint has been removed five days ago, supposedly "to relieve the Palestinians' life-fabric". Every car is stopped, passengers are required to disembark, men to lift their shirts and spin around, all car doors opened - all taking quite a while. Over 200 cars wait for about two hours. Our phone call to the DCO revealed they have not the slightest idea of the goings-on. They'll look into it. Half an hour later, a DCO soldier answers out call - surprised anew, and after an additional explanation, assures us: "We are still looking into it." 12:05: The DCO's answer: The checkpoint is there because PPs are expected to pass through (this is no spelling error, this is how the army calls Palestinian Policemen). We inquired why the passage of Palestinian policemen on a road connecting a Palestinian village and Nablus requires meticulous inspections. What harm are the Palestinians traveling to Nablus expected to inflict on them? DCO answer: Okay, we'll look into it again. At 13:08 - the checkpoint was dismantled and the soldiers left. (Huwwara, 3.5)

 

Water, water , what a joy! ... a water pipe-laying project is taking place in Beit Furik, financed by the European Union. One of the companies involved is "Shaham", a subsidiary of Mekorot, the Israeli National Water Co., based in Holon. The truck in question arrived from Holon with a Jerusalem blue ID-holding driver, collected the Palestinian engineer in Ramallah, (employee of the Palestinian office cooperating with Israeli organizations and the International Red Cross Committee). Obviously this is a wide-range humanitarian project. The truck had transferred wares worth about 170,000 NIS at the Awarta back-to-back goods checkpoint/terminal. On their way back the driver (apparently not aware of the national status of the road) suggested to go have a cup of coffee at Huwwara, for which they had to drive some 100 meters from Awarta to Huwwara CP on the road forbidden to Palestinians (not only Palestinian vehicle, any Palestinian - be it passenger, pedestrian, even to just cross it from one side to the other on foot. We have yet to see a winged case.). Let us not forget - the truck is Israeli, the driver holding an Israeli resident ID, and the engineer - alas - Palestinian.

Arriving at the roundabout by the Checkpoint, they were caught. Officer Paz: "The Palestinian stays. The truck can proceed."

It did not. The commander detained the Palestinian in the concrete cubicle, and at 17:00 also took the driver's ID - for parking his truck by the concrete ledges outside the checkpoint. The whole story with its international ramifications did not impress him one bit. The Palestinian was detained at 16:40...

At 18:15 the driver, the engineer and the truck were released. The shed emptied. We left. (Huwwara, 11.5)

 

Hebron Children - Last Saturday Jewish settlers complained about a Palestinian child who tried to stab a Jewish child near the "house of contention". Fifteen soldiers accompanied three Jewish settlers - two men and a woman - from door to door in the neighborhood, in an attempt to identify the suspect. In every house, they stood all children along the walls and searched them for knives! The settlers did not identify a single child, and after about six hours the search was terminated. (Hebron, 21.5.)

 

Little (Palestinian) children's school bags are inspected as they cross the checkpoint, some of them no older than seven, and they are required to remove belts and any other accessory that makes the metal-detectors bleep. (Hebron, 27-28.5)

 

**ATTENTION ARMY HUMANITARIAN HOTLINE:

Mohammad delivers milk to Nablus hospitals. On Maay 25th he applied to renew his entry permit into Nablus, about to expire on June 1st. Since then he has been reporting to the DCO in Qalqiliya daily, where he is always ordered to "come tomorrow". He has thus lost five work days and milk has not been delivered to the hospitals. The permit that Mohammad holds notes that he is assigned "to supply food within closure areas, on humanitarian and medical grounds". This has been confirmed by the Public Inquiries Officers at the Civil Administration. In the past, too, Mohammad has met bureaucratic obstacles whenever applying for renewing his permit and our intervention has been required for him to finally receive the necessary documents. Our appeals to DCO Qalqiliya have not solved the problem. Considering the urgency of the matter, on June 4th we requested the intervention of the Public Inquiries Officer at the Civil Administration. Complying with his request, we faxed him all the details of this case, and thus another day went by without milk for Nablus hospitals. Following this intervention, we were informed on Thursday June 5th that the permit will indeed be given to Mohammad, but only in five days' time, after the Shavuoth (Jewish) holiday, for "tomorrow is Friday, then Saturday, and then Sunday is holiday eve, and Monday is holiday". In the meantime Mohammad tried to get into Nablus on his delivery days through the various checkpoints surrounding the city - once at Huwwara, once in Beit Iba. When soldiers refused him passage, he called us, we called the DCO, and under directions from the Head of the DCO the milk was let through into town for the hospitals. On Tuesday, June 10th , after helping Mohammad yet again to get the milk through, he went back to DCO Qalqiliya (Eyal). There, he told us, he was informed that since he had complained and "been a trouble-maker", he must re-apply. Yet again we were called upon to intervene and demand of DCO Qalqiliya to do his duty. Finally Mohammad received the blessed permit, after hours of waiting. And for how long is this permit valid? Not a year, God forbid, not half a year: merely three months. And then, the wheels will presumably have to start rolling again. And this is called "relief for the Palestinians' fabric of life", and "making movement easier for the Palestinians". (Qalqiliya, 25.5)

 

To Major General (Res.) Ehud Barak

Minister of Defense

You have promised the removal of blockages in order to relieve the Palestinians' "life fabric" in the West Bank. Not one checkpoint has been dismantled, not one earth-mound removed. Barriers have been added, more concrete walls, more metal gates.

In the sweep of the pendulum between human rights and security - every barrier you add reduces security and contributes to growing hatred and violence. You are responsible for the symbiosis generated between all security forces in this area and the Jewish settlers. You are responsible for violating the Palestinians' human rights. You bear the responsibility for the separation/apartheid policy practiced in Hebron - that constantly grants more rights to the settlers and reduces the rights of Palestinians. Is this the right way to fight terrorism, or is this the surest way to preserve terrorism as a stabilizing factor in our region?

The gap dissonance between your declarations and their implementation on the ground enhances frustration and mistrust. Let us not forget that the land we came to had not been empty, and that we have all been created in God's image. Disregarding the lives and dignity of Palestinians deprives Zionism of its moral significance, its values and humaneness. Where are we going with this? (Southern West Bank, 6.5)

 

 

Hebron Moments

 

Near the concrete slabs marking the edge of the H2 area, behind the Jewish cemetery, another flying (temporary) checkpoint has been posted. The lieutenant stands there, pointing his rifle beside a stone wall, behind him in the background laundry hangs to dry next to a house still inhabited by Palestinians. Opposite on the entrance steps to a house, another soldier stands with a pointed gun, and on both sides of the road, another four soldiers. All of this is seen about 300 meters above the Tel Romeida Checkpoint, where Palestinians would be inspected again in any case. Why has another checkpoint been posted here? The commander's answer: "From here to Tel Romeida Checkpoint they might still manage to carry out a terrorist attack."

Against whom? Their own neighbors? This is a Palestinian neighborhood, containing not a single Jew. So why the checkpoint, if not to show who's in charge?!

And who passes through there? A old blind man, groping along, youngsters and the elderly who are required by the soldiers to open their coats, lift them, turn a pirouette. Some of them are held against the concrete wall, and with the rifle, they are urged to splay open their legs, as the insides of their thighs are tap-searched. (Tel Romeida, Hebron, 1.4)

 

Suddenly a horrible surge of noise rises from the loudspeakers posed on the roof of the building containing the settlers' snack and souvenir shop: "Hebron is ours, by right of our forefathers, Hebron belongs to the Jewish People, Hebron is mine, Hebron, the Holy City was given to the Holy People by the Lord Almighty." The Palestinians in their own souvenir shop across the street say this noise drives them crazy all day long and all night. We asked for the volume to be lowered.

Out of the snack shop comes a man who turns into a bully on the spot, identifies himself as Ofer Ohana, sticks a video camera in my face, claims he holds a journalist card, swears at us. He calls out to the youths gathering around us to pray for our deaths. The souvenir shopkeeper, turning into a bully as well, begins to shout aggressively, "Traitors" and the like. "I served in the army for four years, and I know you are a security hazard." More passers-by add their own two bits. Border Patrol men look on and do nothing. A brave policeman arrives and the settlers charge at him as well, swearing, pushing and threatening. A police car with more policemen arrives, one of them takes out a video camera - the only item that deters the bullies who try to avoid being photographed.

An older man informs us we've "always been whores", a boy suggests that my son should marry an Arab woman, a youngster wearing a large white skullcap goes berserk and confronts policemen, while the first two bullies continue to yell, swearing and threatening: "When we take over, we'll hang you from a high tree like Haman", "You shame us in front of the Palestinians", "You are a disgrace to your family".

The Border Patrol's usual solution: To remove us rather than our assailants from the public area into the nearby police station to lodge a complaint. At the end of the procedure, the interrogator tells us she receives letters from the local settlers addressed to "Mrs. Eichmann". (Cave of the Fathers, Hebron, 6.4)

 

Ofer Ohana invites us again to live on Traitors Street no. 9. He explains to the Border Patrolmen that if a Palestinian stabs soldiers we would dance over their blood. (Hebron, 17.4)

 

At the gate between Hebron and Kiryat Arba, the guard asks to see our driver's ID. At this point, Ofer Ohana stands in front of the vehicle to block it from moving. The gate is closed, as well. We get out of the car and ask the policeman to move the people and let us through. The policeman explains to the guard that we are with him, but at this point about 50 settlers, most of them men, boys and little children crowd around. The vehicle becomes a target. Spitting, rocking the car, yelling, threatening, swearing.

Outside, six policemen and some soldiers are pacing around but none of them does anything to prevent damage to the car or check the escalating violence. Another police car arrives, bringing another three policemen on the scene. The policeman driving it hugs one of the settlers and the riot outside continues. Someone lets the air out of our back tire, and some minutes later, someone else punctures the front tire with a knife.

A policeman is pushed and hit by a group of 5-6 settlers. No one does a thing to open the gate, take charge of the situation and enable us to move on. Instead, after over half an hour, one of the policemen joins us inside the car and we are told to reach the police station. We are all detained for having participated in an illegal gathering.

On two punctured tires we ascend towards the police station. While inside the car, we don't see any of the policemen actually taking matters seriously. The boys who hit policemen have not been detained, and the police have not done a thing to document the crowding and violence that had taken place. The policemen were afraid to confront the settlers and preferred to stay inside their station. It is saddening to witness the helplessness and feel - first hand - the flagrant symbiosis between the security forces and the settlers. (Hebron, 25.4)

 

This alert is dedicated to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who while addressing a brigade commanders' meeting last week, asked them to "think about the Palestinians having to strip at the checkpoints. This might become a bubbling cauldron that will suddenly explode and inflict terrible burns, and t can be something else - depending entirely upon your own judgment and your ability to act wisely and with determination." Come, Mr. Prime Minister, take a look at what really goes on at the checkpoints.

"Madison Road" - who knows what that is?

"Madison Road" ? I know where that is...

 

16:00 On the roadside just outside the checkpoint compound, 7 vehicles are parked, their drivers and passengers standing by them in a stalled stance that speaks volumes.

There are 2 refrigerated trucks, one truck carrying oxygen tanks, another empty truck, a van carrying medication with the Red Crescent emblem, a private vehicle whose owner is a physician from Huwwara village. DCO Captain A. (of the Civil Administration) arrives within 10 minutes, and before we even begin to ask questions, announces that he knows all the cases! They all traveled "Madison road", breaking the law. We ask, if there is a law forbidding Palestinians to travel this road, why is there no road sign explicitly stating this for all to see?? "That's right", he answers. And why do the soldiers who catch them not prevent them from getting on that road? "You go and stand over there!" he answers us. The drivers get on the road, are detected by the army but caught only at the end of the forbidden road. Then he informs us (repeatedly) that they (the Palestinian drivers) are all 'fucking our minds' (maybe he means us too) and releases the truck carrying the oxygen tanks. "There's the law that the brigade commander has set, he's the one who decides and they know it. Let's go and ask them, one by one"...Then he releases the doctor. "Just for your sake. If he's a doctor he is intelligent and he is still living in Huwwara so he should know where he is permitted to drive and where he isn't".

We said that sometimes people are in a hurry, or tired, and the alternative road for Palestinians is long winding and potholed and it is only human to choose the shorter, smoother road since "the law" is not legal, thus the violation is no violation. And what about the medication carrier? "He is a conniving liar, I know him." After a while he too is released. All the others are kept waiting until 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 'do their time' of punishment. The soldiers kept their eyes on the watch and stuck to the letter of every second... (Huwwara, 2.3)

We noticed hands waving to us from a concrete cubicle at the side of the checkpoint. We approached and discovered a doorless concrete hold  containing 14 (!) youngsters, all students who were detained 3 hours earlier while trying to cross the "Madison Route on foot en route to Awarta (probably in the attempt to spare themselves the Huwwara checkpoint). The camaraderie of 14 youngsters might have relieved the waiting, but because of the crowded conditions a few of them "leaked" out over the concrete ledge between them and freedom. The checkpoint commander kept warning them to get back into the hold. Suddenly he ran up to us and demanded we give him a ride to chase 6 Palestinians that were observed by him crossing the same road. We were stunned and, of course, refused: "We should take you in our car to catch Palestinians??" He was cross with us, for they - as he put it - are walking straight from "Madison Route" (connecting Nablus and Awarta) to Tel Aviv...

The commander came to release the youngsters, but keeps the four who were outside the cubicle detained. However, he does not remember which these were. He tries to pressure the Palestinians into turning the culprits in, but all are united in solidarity and ready to remain in detention and not turning the "violators". Finally he chooses whom he'll detain further, and releases all the rest after lecturing them in English (first he asked us to translate into Arabic, but we instantly forgot the little Arabic we know). The youngsters first refused to leave without their mate, but when they realized the commander couldn't care less if they stay, they turned to go. Our pleas were of no help. The commander refused to release the single detainee. He said the fellow would suffer on our account, and we thought that perhaps our presence makes him hold this detainee longer (this proved to be wrong, he kept him there for another hour and a quarter after we left). They were all directed back to Nablus, let them now proceed through the checkpoint, meaning another hour's delay at least. (Awarta, 6.4)

Leaving Awarta at the "Madison" junction, soldiers are putting up a spike road barrier to catch the 'violators' that will be driving from Beit Furiq and Beit Dajam on this hallowed colonist road.

We reached the Awarta Checkpoint, now closed down, at 18:45. The soldiers stay cozy in the watchtower, and a single car with four Palestinian men stands waiting idly to be released. They tell us they were detained at 4:30 p.m. As we arrive, a blinding spotlight is switched on in our eyes, and then the soldiers approach us. The commander says the men are detained since 5:10 p.m. There is no meaning to these discrepancies - they were caught near Huwwara at 4:30 p.m. and brought to Awarta at 5:10 p.m., everyone's right... But from the moment the CP commander receives the 'goods' he may hold on to them for three hours by the clock and that's exactly what he intends to do. These passengers, too, are from Ramallah and unfamiliar with the 'rules' and bans in the Nablus area. We called the DCO about them, and asked the soldiers why no one puts up a road sign so Palestinians would know they are forbidden to travel this road, and thus spare the trouble to punish them for something they do not know. This idea produced an outraged response from the CP commander: "That would be such a racist road-sign!!" He also claimed that "the Palestinians spin you like a corkscrew. They're not from Ramallah, they're from here, this village, I know him." And to show us how good he is, he said about the passengers, indeed from Ramallah, that "They were okay, they didn't make trouble for me so I let them sit in their car and not in the detention cubicle". Any one of those four detainees could easily have been father to these soldiers, age-wise. (Awarta, 15.3)

"Madison Route" - in Israeli army jargon - is road no. 557 that branches off road no. 60 south of Nablus and leads eastwards to the Jewish colony of Itamar, the Palestinian villages Beit Furiq and Beit Dajan, and ends in the Jewish colony of Alon More.

No Palestinian traffic is permitted along this road, neither vehicular nor pedestrian - neither on it nor alongside it, for the supposed "security" of the Jewish colonists.

The Palestinian villagers here wishing to travel south to Ramallah, Bethlehem or Hebron, for example, must go north through Beit Furiq Checkpoint into Nablus, cross the city westwards, and exit southbound through the Huwwara Checkpoint. This entails three hours of traveling on the average (including the waiting in two checkpoints), instead of a several-minute drive.

Among the barriers mentioned as "removed" by the defense authorities lately, appears one that is located on "Madison Route" itself. We have been driving along this route for years daily, and have never witnessed this "mysterious" barrier. Where was it? From where has it been removed?? Anyone?

Bethlehem
Area

Monday PM, 17.3.08

15:00-17:30

Hebron Road. An impromptu CP across from Mar Elias. 4 detainees had to sign the infamous forms and were sitting on the sidewalk.

Bethlehem CP. Very crowded. A large group of German tourists were trying to squeeze their way back into Jerusalem. They noted that the soldiers behaved very harshly towards the Palestinians. The proceedings are extremely degrading indeed. Three civil security guards were on duty and 4 windows open. Only one hand-machine was operable. A female soldier was on the phone constantly, meanwhile slowly checking documents and signaling with the well-known hand-movement. The wait was never over 10 minutes.

Tuesday, 18.3.08, AM

06:30, Bethlehem CP. 5 posts open. Lines long and crowded, but passage orderly. Then, one of the computers stopped functioning. Without explanation, the post was closed, resulting in havoc, as
people from this line tried to squeeze into the neighboring line. People were fighting desperately for a place. When another post closed, too, for 5-10 minutes, things got almost out of control. Shouts of angry Palestinians mingled with the bellowings of policemen and soldiers. The DCL rep. appeared all of a sudden, smiling and optimistic, drinking Cola. He asked us what the problem was, as if the problem were ours. He insisted that he himself has to stand in line now and again, so what is the big deal. Then he sat down on one of the decorative plant-less plant containers, used as a trash bin, drank his Cola and looked quite contented.

The computer was revived some 30 minutes later, and a 6th post opened. Pressure alleviated at 07:45, and by 8am the CP was clear on both sides.

Wednesday AM, 19.3.08

06:45 Bethlehem CP. Closure. Just a trickle of people entering. One works with the WAQF, others at churches. They report no queue at the entrance.

08:15 Nebi Yunis. A 40 year old bus driver tells us he has been refused a magnetic card twice for no reason. On his 3rd attempt he was told that since he drives in the Hebron area he has no

need for the card. However, he does travel sometimes to Nablus. He was told to get such an affidavit from the bus company and reapply.

08:45 DCL Ezyon. A handful of men coming and going. A young man who was caught 3 times in Jerusalem without a magnetic card is waiting patiently for a GSS interrogation.

Wednesday PM,19.3.08

14.15 DCL Ezyon. Deserted except for 2 men. The younger, 19 years old, had arrived at 8 am for a GSS interview. They took his ID and told him it would be returned during the day. It hadn't yet. The other man is Palestinian and his wife is Israeli. He is 40 years old, and father of 5. He showed us documentation from the Civil Administration allowing him to stay in Israel with his wife on condition that he has no debts. He also had documentation to show that he was debt free. Still, he could not obtain
a pass. We will try to help.

16.40 The DCL closed at 4pm today, due to the Purim holiday. 2 men urgently needed passes to visit a very sick relative in hospital in Jerusalem, but they did not obtain them.

17.00 The young man's ID was returned.

17.20 Bethlehem CP. Because of Purim holiday, closure in the territories. Only one booth open, but hardly any people.

Abu
Dis Area

Monday AM, 17.3.08

08:00 Container CP. All smooth, no detainees. Some cars are being checked and that's it.

Monday PM, 17.3.08

Shiekh Saed, 14::-15:00. A day after the riots, Jebel Mukabar looked like a ghost town. A few BP jeeps at the top near the Haas Promenade. Many soldiers at the CP. The sterile area at the bottom is now lined with coiled barbed wire, the 'scooter ambulance' has its own reserved spot. The few yards near the CP where no parking is allowed has been newly paved (inclduing a road-bump), and white arrows direct traffic. We were told to remain outside the police fences initially. A bus driver told us that following High Court decision, cars will soon be allowed into the village, hence the improved road with arrows and traffic light -- all in the midst of the rubble.

Tuesday PM, 18.3.08

Container CP. Very few vehicles in either direction, no cars stopped for inspection, few workers returning home. Very quiet.

Wednesday PM, 19.3.08

16:00, Container CP. We expected to see little traffic, because of the closure imposed for the Purim holiday. But the CP looked much as usual. An inquiry revealed that the closure applies to Jerusalem, but not to Ma'ale Adumim. Workers entering through the Container CP must take a very roundabout route to
their destination. The soldiers were friendly enough, and traffic moved in spurts, but still quite rapidly.

Olives terminal: Here the closure is felt more, as this is a passage to Western Jerusalem proper. The soldiers said no workers passed today, only emergencies and humanitarian cases.

A-Ram
– Qalandiya Area

Monday AM, 17.3.08

06:45 Anata. Traffic is massive , mostly workers. Some elderly women lacking proper papers are sent back. The 2 officers on duty are pleasant and keep all calm. One BP who got nervous when a 6 year old touched his gun was immediately calmed down by them, All runs fast and uneventful, despite last nights' wild attacks in Jabel Mukaber.

Tuesday PM, 18.3.08

Anata. Quiet and uneventful. Large force of various security personnel. Everything moved quickly in both directions. Few schoolchildren passing through.

Thursday AM, 20.3.08

Purim weekend - closure for under 30s.

06.20 Anata Few pedestrians, but many cars. All trunks checked. No schoolchildren or schoolbuses -- school holiday.

07.00 Qalandiya. Fewer cars than usual in the carpark. Again only 2 carousels
operating. People waiting outside are particularly tense and all bunch up, some trying to climb up over the fence. The men are not even willing to allow women to the head of the queue. In the last 4 weeks the situation in the CP has worsened considerably. A large group of people was waiting to pass through the special gate for women and teachers etc., but it took our intervention for the gate to be opened, 10 minutes later. But later when there were a number of women waiting there again, they wouldn't open the gate again. All 5 gates were open, but processing seemed slow, through no fault of the soldier, who was sensible and kind. One woman was struggling with a crying baby at gate 5 for almost an hour. It turned out that she was waiting for the DCL to open. It didn't open on time (8:30), but did finally open at 8:45. A few minutes afte 8
there was no crowd at the carousels, but when we left at 9 only 2 gates were open and there was again a line of people waiting at the carousels..

Nablus Area

Sunday, 16.3.08, PM



14:10, Jit
Junction. No checkpoint.

15:24, Beit
Iba. All the lines (the 2 turnstiles and the Humanitarian line) are crowded
and long. People complain that they are waiting for 2 hours. The soldiers are
shouting.

At the vehicle post
there are many soldiers, and several of them are standing around in small groups
talking and laughing and taking their time, which they have plenty of. Men under
35 are being removed from buses and sent to the end of the pedestrian queue to
be checked.

15:35, Jit
Junction. Army is present. 5 vehicles coming up from Beit Iba are waiting in
line.

Tuesday, 18.3.08,
AM

Jit
Junction.
Unmanned.

07:25--09:00,
Beit Iba. Most passers are students. All young men entering Nablus pass a
thorough ID check.

Vehicles, both
entering and exiting the city, are checked thoroughly as well. This applies to
hand-carts and donkey-carts as well, coming in or out. Everybody has to go on
foot: an octogenarian who can hardly walk or many mothers carrying tiny babies
in their arms (apparently there is some kind of clinic today).


Thursday, 20.3.08
PM

14:51, Beit
Iba. The porters come to speak with us when we arrive. The soldiers won't
let them bring through vegetables and oil as they usually
do.

Two men are detained
in the compound. After we arrive, the CP commander orders one to be released.
The other tells us he was caught sitting in a car far from the CP and the
soldiers claim he was trying to bypass the CP.

Next to the CP there
is a truck. The passengers and driver have been there for three hours because
when one of the soldiers told them to turn the truck in its place they
accidentally made a dent in one of the small plastic polls that are there. The
soldiers have called the police. A soldier makes a 50 year old man go back and
shut a gate in the fence which the man didn't even know he was supposed to shut.


People call us from
the Tiasir CP to say that no cars have been let through for the last two and a
half hours.

16:10. A young man
is detained. They check the his bags, making him place all the items on the
dusty ground and then push him into the compound.

Today even the women
and the elderly going into Nablus are being checked, but the soldier in charge
has a short attention span, so he wanders off, only returning to yell at the
people who didn't realize they were supposed to stop and wait in the first
place.

The police arrive
and after taking down the soldiers' account and the Palestinians' IDs, let the
people go. The soldier tries to convince the officer that the offence was
grave.

16:35. As we left,
the detainee was still in the compound.

We stopped at Dir
Sharaf to visit a friend who showed us photos of the vandalism done to his
sister's house by soldier invaders last week. Such events occur daily, still, I
recommend that anyone reading this report look at these photos, available on our
website. His sister will not complain because she's afraid. The people kidnapped
by the soldiers were released three days later.

Qalqiliya Area

Sunday, 16.3.08, PM


13:20,
Qalqilya. No vehicles entering Qalqilya, a few coming from the city.
Palestinian vehicles are mostly being waved in with little or no check. Israeli
cars are being checked.


14:00,
Azun. Closed.

Tuesday, 18.3.08,
AM

06:40--07:10,
Qalqilya. Vehicles (Authority plates only) come in and out of the city
almost without checking. No lines form.

Azun. The
sand piles and boulders are still there.

09:15--09:30,
Anabta. Vehicles pass without checking. Near the pillbox a military jeep
is parked. A pedestrian student is summoned to what seems like a hush-hush
conversation. An attempt to enlist him to something such as we've witnessed in
the past? After a few minutes he is sent away.

09:40--10:30,
Jubara & Ar-Ras. All is quiet. At
gate 735 (former Children's Gate), hardly any vehicles
pass.

Thursday, 20.3.08,
PM

13:40, Ras
Tire. Soldiers are standing at a gate in the separation fence checking
people who wish to pass through. Right now these are three children on a donkey
and cart. The soldiers tell us the gate is closed every day between 6:30 PM to
6:30 AM. During the day only residents of the adjoining villages and people who
hold special permits are allowed through.

14:05,
Qalqilya. Three young people arrive in carnival masks and make up and
hand the soldiers huge bags of candy for 'Purim', the male has a real gun. The
people who wish to enter or exit Qalqilya are subject to a short
interrogation.

Azun. The
entrance is still blocked with razor wire and dirt
mounds.

Signs by the side of
the road:

Hebrew labor and
Jewish shopping - the times call for it!

We've had enough of
contempt - legal aid for Jews against the legal system

At the end of the
mourning period we'll rise and do the deed…destroy the terrorist's
house!

14:40, Jit
junction. Unmanned.

17:27,
Anabta. 10 cars coming from Tulkarm, 7 from the other direction. One of
the cars doesn't stop far enough from the soldier, so he thinks.


17:47,
Jubara. No activity around the gate.

The children's
gate. Seven work seekers
upon their return from Israel sit by the side of the road with many bags and
packages. They have been here for half an hour. People who wish to enter the
village are registered on a piece of paper, and given a two digit number which
they must remember to tell the soldiers upon exit (besides the routine ID
check). The soldiers call out to the men to bring their IDs and make some calls
over the radio. At seven PM the men are allowed through.

Ar-Ras.
Checking of vehicles and pedestrians is done in complete darkness. The soldiers
light up drivers' faces with a flash light.

Hebron
Area

Sunday AM,
16.3.08

Meitar-Sansana. A long queue. Passage from the end of the queue through the CP took about 30 minutes. The Palestinians said this slow pace was due to our presence. One man showed us his permit to be in Israel issued by the Ministry of the Interior, valid 13.3.08-13.9.08, yet was not let through. No reason given, none known.

Hebron, No detainees at any of the CPs. A municipal employee who came to the CP at the Patriarchs' Tomb was allowed through after leaving his ID with the soldier there, to be given back upon his return from work. We were told that this arrangement depended on the whim of the soldier.

---

 

Bethlehem Checkpoint (the 'Rachel Crossing') is one of the 'terminals' that the Defence Ministry built to organise the crossing from the southern West Bank into Jerusalem. Close to 4,000 people pass through it checkpoint daily, on their way to work 05:00 to 08:30, then returning home - from 15:00 to 17:00. This is the announcement made in the Knesset about the construction of the terminals:

Minutes no. 495

- a meeting of the

Interior & Environmental Quality Committee

10:00 - Wednesday 27 July 2005

(Address by Mr. Taiber)

"The state and the Defence Ministry have assumed the task of transforming these crossings into the most humane sort of crossing possible, that will provide the most appropriate services in all senses of the words. In terms of the visual and physical aspects - they must be the most attractive, appropriate, and suitable for the people using it. And as far as the terminals are concerned - they should be of a level equivalent to international terminals".

That sounds like a really bad joke. "Humane ... equivalent to international terminals?" There are no toilets; no benches; no protection from the elements; no "humane" crossing that takes into account the presence of children and women; no water-cooler - (and - how surprising - not even a duty-free).

The 'terminal" for people crossing on foot was built as a spacious hall on the Israeli side with 12 checking-positions. Only five of them are functioning, however. In comparison, on the Palestinian side there are only 2 checking-positions. And so appalling congestion that endangers everyone in the checkpoint is generated each morning, when thousands of people try to get to work on time.

We reached the checkpoint at 05:10. People had started crossing a few minutes previously. Behind the walls on the outskirts of the checkpoint - an area that's out of bounds for us - are the downtrodden Palestinian labourers holding their coats, their belts unbuckled, shoes in their hands, or wearing shoes without laces.  These phenomena are invisible in the fable of the 'fabric of life' and the 'human aspect'... nor are the people running towards the checking positions pulling on their clothes, hoping that the transport to work won't 'escape' them meanwhile.

It's everyday hell that's typical of this checkpoint. A young man holding an infant was standing in line in the checkpoint area, by the entrance. He was obviously waiting for the baby's mother. The guards tried to get him to move out of the checkpoint, to the extreme cold outside. Common sense prevailed this time, and he was permitted to remain standing in the hall. Apparently the baby wasn't his; its mother was on the other side, but with the terrible crowding it was impossible to create any space so she could get to the head of the line. So the baby was passed from hand-to-hand until it landed in this young man's arms. It took 50 minutes until mother and baby were reunited.

Another man held a sick infant, and was accompanied by his 11-year-old daughter: he asked the guards to allow him to leave the checkpoint without standing in line. He showed his daughter's birth certificate - confirming that she was indeed 11 years old. But no - he could leave with the baby, but not with the big girl! He was afraid that the child couldn't find her was back home alone. So what? The child had to go home alone. (5 February 2008)

The checkpoint on the Israeli side opened at 05:05. Only four checking positions were open for business. The overcrowding was terrible. More and more people were crowded together in an inhuman way: the disorder was absolute.

There was no chance of helping in "trivial" cases - like someone whose magnetic card gave an expiry date in 2009 but "the computer in the soldier's position says that it will expire this week"; or someone who until two days ago had worked without problems, but since the previous day had been blacklisted by the GSS. At 06:55 another position was opened by an officer. We asked him to try and get the crowds moving. He took a seat at a position where the exit turnstile wasn't functioning. People were standing in line behind that position. After a while, when the problem became obvious, he moved to another position, and this of course caused more disorder.

The situation was one of lack of control and aggressiveness. The Palestinians pushed, shouted and argued. The guards shouted at them to move back. Sometimes the guards pushed them to try and get them to move back. Some people tried to get through the unstaffed positions. Some were successful, others failed.

At 06:50, a man of around 45 collapsed after crossing through the checkpoint. The private security staff called for an ambulance which arrived some 20 minutes later. They examined him, and a Palestinian ophthalmologist who was there mediated between the staff (who didn't speak Arabic) and the patient. According to the ambulance staff the man had not suffered a heart attack, and they called for a Palestinian ambulance. The man was evacuated after lying on the floor for about an hour. He had collapsed as a result of fractured ribs caused by the overcrowding. The Israeli police and border police gave first aid.  

As for the general situation at the checkpoint they had just one solution: shout at people to stand in line, close positions when the Palestinians failed to do so (thus worsening the congestion), and then reopen the positions once collective punishment did nothing to help. We spoke to a police officer and asked him to allow the women to go through - they were helpless in the face of the anarchy. His answer: they will wait like everyone else.. (7 February 2008).

Because we see sights like this every day, we complained to the responsible people several times. On 16 March 2000 we sent the following letter to Mr. Matan Vilnai, Deputy Defence-Minister: General Gad Shamni, Chief of Central Command ; General Yossef Mishlav - Coordinator of Activities in the Occupied Territories; Brig. Yoav Mordechai, Head of the Civil Administration.

 

"Good morning.

Today is Sunday - the start of the working week. This is not classified information. Every resident and citizen of Israel knows that Sunday is the start of the working week.

It's now 06:00 and there has already been a 'battle' at the entrance to the Rachel Crossing (Checkpoint 300)- but today is worse than usual. People from the civilian company that operates the facility are behaving with extreme violence, pushing, shoving, screaming and cursing - appalling behaviour (and this is a restrained description).

06:00 - We contacted the IDF's humanitarian hotline - " I don't think I can help about the civilian company - I contacted the  DCO - but at this time of day ... and on a Sunday..."

06:05 - The checkpoint is closed down - the pressure is immense, what a surprise, who would have imagined pressure like this on a Sunday morning?

This situation has been going on for weeks. We were told that another sleeve would be opened in Bethlehem - when will this happen? Why this daily abuse? Must there be a disaster before it stops?

06:30 - the entrance is still closed. At last - a fifth checking position is opened.

How many workers will miss a day's work today?

How many humiliations will remain in their memories? "

This letter received an answer only from the office of the Chief of Central Command, informing us that the checkpoint is the responsibility of the Israeli Police - Jerusalem district, and our query had been referred to them.

This was written by the General in charge of the Central Command - the sovereign power in the West Bank!