Beit Iba, Tue 16.12.08, Afternoon

14:00  A Hummer vehicle next to the Palestinian
house whose openings are covered with screens - opposite the argricultural gate
of Marda.  (the house seems in better shape;  the area around the
house looks like it was raked - what is happening there??).  The Zeita
checkpoint looks more substantial than ever.  Who can we ask about this?
Forever?

A nostalgic visit to the new and discouraging Huwarra
and to Beit Furik, which has been dismantled but still exists and shouts out with
its everlasting yellow tint into the orchard and fields...and to Awarta, which
has changed place and appearance entirely.  The previous checkpoint is now
a simple path leading to Nablus,
on the side of which is a sort of parking lot.

15:45  A Hummer vehicle guards the farm of Gilad
Zar (we can also see a Hummer, naturally, at the entrance to Itamar).  In
the framework of the army's babysitting of the settlers.

15:50  The new Beit Iba checkpoint, yellow,
double-armed with impressive street lighting - but unmanned.

Checkpoint of Shavei Shomron - Both we and the
soldiers remain in our cars.  The Palestinian cars are not inspected.

16:05  Beit Iba - one station is active plus the
humanitarian line.  It seems that the second line is "broken".
Further on, the line of youths is very long and crowded.  By now,
they have been standing and waiting for half an hour.  In the shed at the
exit, the students put back on whatever they had to take off at the checkpoint.
The humanitarian line flows acceptably.  The cars and also a bus
which arrived go through with no delays.  The cars going toward Nablus enter without any
inspection, not even with any hand gestures.  Altogether, there is no
specially deviant behavior toward those going through the checkpoint but, as
has become customary at Beit Iba, our own movement and location get a lot of
attention and responses.  They tell us where exactly to stand, both at the
checkpoint itself and opposite the line of vehicles, not to mention the
restrictions on photography.  And everything is in the language of
"according to the law", and threats of calling the police.  I
photograph a soldier inspecting parcels in a donkey cart and, in return, the
military policeman photographs Miki.  N., the commander, asks me politely
not to stand on the traffic island which looks over the traffic and people,
because our presence is a psychological threat toward the soldiers and then
they can't operate correctly.  Later he speaks with us at length about his
world view concerning activity at the checkpoints and also complains that it
was cited in a previous report that he said something very harsh and he
certainly didn't.

 17:00  Anabta:  a lot of vehicles with
Israeli plates and Palestinian taxis in front of the checkpoint.  It turns
out that there is a prohibition today on Israeli cars entering Tulkarm.
The entrance to Israeli citizens in Palestinian taxis is possible, so
there is a bit of employment for the local drivers...

17:15 - Jabara:  We return at evening to Israel.