Za'tara (Tapuah)

Translated Dvora K.

A cold rainy day.

Summary:

The person responsible for security in the settlement of Maskiyot continues to make trouble for the residents in the area, in collaboration with military units serving in the region. Last week there were two incidents in which he initiated the illegal arrest of shepherds for 4-5 hours, and soldiers actually carried it out. In both cases they did not call the police, and that's proof that there was no legal reason for the deed. After 'the punishment was applied in full', the shepherds were freed to go home.

We heard complaints about unnecessary delays at the Tyasir CP. We ourselves saw an eight-minute halt in which no vehicle could go through the CP; there was no apparent reason for this. This was after we had left the CP and stopped to observe from a distance.

Gochiya Gate again was not opened until 15:45.

Tapuach Junction–11.25

There are no inspections. Near the guard tower that overlooks the road before Ossrin, a military vehicle is parked

Kussara

We met a man who told us that the Palestinian police are pursuing him, claiming that he is a collaborator [with Israel]. He was arrested several times and has spent time in jail. That is why he is having a hard time earning a livelihood for his family. His brother was killed by the Palestinian Authorities because he too was accused of collaboration. At the entrance to Kussara there is a  second hand goods store, for which the name 'second hand' is too grand. The items for sale are terribly ragged things that somebody has brought from the flee market in Jaffe and sells here.

Ma'aleh Efraim – 12.10:

There is no inspection. A military vehicle is parked near the CP. We did not see any inspections on our way back either.

Hamra CP – 12.30

A white Brinks van is parked near the CP and bars the left lane. When we returned it was still parked there in the same place. While we stayed there was a steady stream of people and cars in the usual speed. The passengers get out of the cars which come from the west, go through the pedestrian CP and wait for their vehicles in the cold rain for several minutes. Every time they refurbished the CP, no one has thoughtto have consideration for the thousands of people who go through the CP daily, whether they wish to or not, and must wait in the cold and in the rain in winter, and in the terrible heat of the summer.

The vehicles that come from the east, from the direction of area A, are not inspected.

In the encampment opposite Maskiyot: three weeks ago we talked with a shepherd who's been arrested illegally by R., the security person from Maskiyot, who was helped by a group of soldiers who actually carried out the arrest. This was done with the excuse that he'd come too close to the settlement fence with his herd. The shepherd was held in the CP for three hours, and then released.

Last Friday, he was arrested again. In the middle of the day he was taken from his herd which was left without anybody to watch it, for four hours.

In another encampment we were told about another case of a shepherd taken to the Tyasir CP – again on the initiative of R., who called on the army to make the arrest. The shepherd phoned N. from the Association for Human Rights. She arrived at the Tyasir CP but he was taken to the Hamra CP with the claim that he doesn't have an ID card and was kept there for five hoursa lltogether. In the end, he was released and no complaint was submitted to the police.

The same woman from the Association for Human Rights is calling a meeting of the Bedouin who live in the area in order to explain to them what their rights are and how they can fight for them. We appealed to the organization 'Yesh Din' ['There is Law'] after we received the agreement of the people involved to put in a complaint.

Tyasir CP – 13:50

When we arrived at the CP it was empty of cars. During the time we were there a few cars went through at the usual speed.

14:20– Three cars have already been waiting for five minutes and not a single one goes through. Only after an unexplained pause of eight minutes did the traffic begin to move.

Before this the residents of the encampments, who have to go through the CP regularly, told us that there are long delays to get to the urban center of Tubas . Somebody told us that yesterday at 10:00, not a rush hour for traffic, he's waited at the CP for about an hour, on a tractor open to the wind and the cold.

Guchiya Gate – 15:10

The gate is closed. We rang Zaharan at the Jericho DCO every ten minutes. He spoke with the person responsible for sending the soldiers to open the gate. They told him that the soldiers had been sent there, but none arrived. Those who needed to go through the gate did not get there either, because they knew it would not be opened.

Translator:  Charles K.

We pass through the area of the Za’tara checkpoint before 3 AM.  It’s completely deserted, no soldiers in position, just a light in the guard tower.

We go through the Ma’aleh Efraim checkpoint before 3:30 AM.  It’s also empty.

We pass by the Hamra checkpoint at about 3:45 AM.  No cars, no people; soldiers at the checkpoint.

4:05-5:45  Tayasir checkpoint

No people or cars at the checkpoint before 4:15.  Soldiers are at the vehicle checkpoint and the location where documents are checked up the hill above the road.  They didn’t object to our standing very close to each of those places.

The first car appears at 4:15 AM, then a minibus, then additional cars gradually arrive between 4:30-4:45, transporting laborers to their jobs at various locations, from Ro’i and Na’ama to Beit Ha’arava.

The inspection proceeds very slowly, 3-5 minutes per person, even though they’re only checking documents and the soldier in the booth has continual access to a computer.  The minibus driver waited from 4:20 to 5:40 for his passengers, and during this hour nine cars waited for their passengers.  People who have to begin work at Beit Ha’arava at 6 AM, for example, won’t get there on time.

We asked the shift commander why things are so slow, but he didn’t provide any explanation.  We telephoned the army’s “humanitarian office” who said there had been an infiltration attempt during the night so the roads are jammed.  An answer which is completely irrelevant to the situation at this checkpoint.

People told us that at this time of year, particularly during the coming month, there’s not much work, and most of it is in tomatoes.  The pay is still poor and the employers still avoid their legal obligations to their workers.  The people say that heads of families who have no supplementary source of food such as goats, chickens or a vegetable plot will have great difficulty surviving on that income, which also depends somewhat on the season.  Everyone – laborers and drivers – complained about how slow the Tayasir crossing was, both early in the morning and when they return in the afternoon.  Some said that it’s worse when religious soldiers are stationed there.

6:10-6:50  Hamra checkpoint

There are usually very few people here at this hour.  Today it was filled with people and cars.  38 vehicles waited for their passengers.  Some 200-250 people waited on a very long line behind the checkpoint buildings, many of whom had been there since 4:30 AM.  There were always 7-8 people in the building where detainees are held, waiting a long time for their names to be called and replaced by others.  Some went on to their jobs; others were turned back.  During the time we were there we counted 11 people who weren’t allowed through the checkpoint and went back.  Two of the detainees were there during our entire stay.

The line only started to get shorter quickly as 7 AM approached, people coming through in groups of three and four, much more rapidly.  Most of the vehicles had left by 7 with their passengers.

Teachers, most of whom work in Jericho, the Jiftlik and the school not far from the checkpoint, arrived slightly before 7.  They told us they cross quickly so as not to be late for school.  They, as well as others at both checkpoints, told us that the pupils cross at about 7:30.  They’re never allowed to remain on the school buses.  Even though they don’t have ID cards they must get off, go through the metal detector and walk a considerable distance (exposed to the winds at the Tayasir checkpoint) to the bus which is already waiting on the other side.

We told the humanitarian office about the long lines as well as about the two detainees who hadn’t been released.

The soldiers here also didn’t object to our standing near the checkpoint itself all the time we were there.  They didn’t have a clear answer to the question of why everything is so terribly slow.  The checkpoint commander didn’t either.  At about 6:45 we saw three men wearing coveralls, not Palestinians, going through the checkpoint in the opposite direction.  Who they were, what they were doing, did they have any connection to the fact that crossing was slow this morning – we can only guess.

A military vehicle was positioned in the area where cars waited.  Its soldiers detained two youths for a short time; they apparently hadn’t crossed through the checkpoint itself.  Two of the soldiers, faces almost completely hidden, weapons drawn, continued to stand next to the vehicle even after the youths had been sent back.

It was very cold the whole time.

The Ma’aleh Efraim checkpoint was empty when we crossed on our way back.

Nablus checkpoints)

06:30  'Azzun 'Atma – a very long line of about 70-80 people, maybe even more.  Many others have already crossed and wait at the checkpoint for their rides.  Two inspection booths, and two MP’s outside of the inspection booths inspect both people and their belongings.  But it still takes as long to cross as it did other times we observed – that is, it took a particular person we observed more than an hour to get through.  It’s not raining now, but everything is wet.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to wait an hour or more in the rain to cross.  There’s an awning off to the side, but that doesn’t solve the problem of the line, because there’s no way to stand under the awning and still keep your place on line.  It’s absolutely terrible.  A person is inspected, the solder asks him to remove his jacket, it’s cold.  He’s annoyed, and does so objecting loudly.  And then he turns to us – And what are you doing about it?  You’re no help.  And he’s right – what can we do other than document what’s happening.  How sad.

07:00  The line is becoming a little shorter.  Children crossing to school from the Israeli side have their belongings checked – how come?  Will they bring explosives to the West Bank? 

Some people are sent to sit off to the side while their documents are inspected further.  One said that he always goes through, but since yesterday there’s a red line next to his name so he has to wait longer, and then go through.  What changed since the day before yesterday, that now his name comes up?  Twenty minutes later he went through.

We met a group of laborers who arrive each morning from Bethlehem – what a nightmare, but at least there’s work, so they make the effort.

We took our guests to see Hani’s house – it’s terrible what they did just to benefit a few settlers.

08:10  Bruqin – We saw the mosque whose entrance had been set on fire, as well as the tractor whose driver’s cab was burned completely. The locals shake their heads – why can’t people live together in peace – why, indeed?

08:40  Soldier is at the entrance to Salfit, at the turn to Ariel.  They’re not allowed to let anyone through except Palestinian buses and taxis – we can’t enter.

08:50 We continue to Tapuah/Za’tara.  I’m surprised there are no soldiers inspecting, just someone in the pillbox.

09:10  Huwwara – No soldiers, other than those in the pillbox, who say we’re forbidden to photograph.  But that’s not true, so we continue to take pictures.

09:30  Beit Furik – Deserted, not a living soul, and very few cars going through.

We stopped for falafel in Huwwara – our poor companions were starving.  They’re not used to leaving home at 05:30.

Now the surprise of the day – we reach Tapuach, two soldiers are inspecting cars at the crossing and others erect a concertina barrier on the sidewalk separating the road from the parking lot.  We entered the parking lot to watch.  About ten minutes later the soldiers inspecting cars left the road and returned to the parking lot.  The inspection was very quick – one or two questions, and the car drives away.  The soldiers then came over to talk to us; after we introduced ourselves we asked what they were doing.  You won’t believe it – tonight people will be going to Joseph’s Tomb so they’re fencing off the parking lot.  They promised that tomorrow the barrier will be removed.  And the inspection?  Oh, that was just a flying checkpoint that’s over. 

Translation: Bracha B.A.

09:30 – The Shomron (Samaria) Gate

The checkpoint is empty.

09:45 – Salafit

There were two soldiers at the checkpoint, which was also empty.

10:00 – Tapuach Junction

There was a jeep at the junction but no police or soldiers present.

10:15 – Maaleh Efraim

There were three soldiers at the checkpoint, which was unusual.

10:50 – Hamra Checkpoint

There were four soldiers present.  We met a man who told us that Danny Ashkenazi, the person responsible for security, is constantly harassing Palestinians.  Passage is going smoothly.

11:20 – Tayasir Checkpoint

Four cars are waiting for passengers who are being checked.  One of the drivers told us that they have been waiting for more than a half hour, and it was unusual for so many cars to be waiting there on Saturday.  We met a lot of people who were waiting and we asked if people were ever allowed to show their documents and pass through without getting out of their cars.  They explained that everything depended upon the soldier and whether he was pleasant or not.  Some soldiers let people through quickly and other "bad" ones deliberately make people wait for an hour and a half.  This is particularly true of people going from Tubas to the Jordan Valley.

By 11:40 all the cars that had been waiting and their passengers had crossed through.

12:30 – Hamra Checkpoint

There is a long line of cars waiting and there are  six soldiers, a bulldozer, and a command car at the checkpoint.

13:00 – Maaleh Efraim Checkpoint

The soldiers who were there this morning are now gone and the checkpoint is empty.  There is at least one soldier in the watchtower.

13:10 – Tapuach Junction

There are no soldiers present.

13:45 – Hawara Checkpoint

There are no soldiers present.

13:55 – There is a temporary road block at the entrance to Tzaara.   At 14:05 a jeep arrived and evidently gave an order to leave, and the roadblock is taken away.  People can pass through freely again.

14:20 -  – Eliyahu Gate

There is a long line of cars waiting to cross into Israel.

Translator:  Charles K.

The usual line at Azzun Atma – about 150 Palestinian laborers returning home forced to wait hours by the side of a heavily-trafficked road, with no shelter over their heads, whatever the weather.

14:00 

Habla checkpoint - Vehicles and people on foot manage to go through after being inspected, just before the gate closes.

14:20  Eliyahu crossing – A Hanukkah menorah at the entrance to the checkpoint with holiday greetings from the Shomron regional council.  We later see the same thing next to the Palestinian house outside the fence at Azzun Atma.

14:27  Entrance to Azzun village (Highway 55) – Four armed soldiers stand at the entrance gate.

14:45  Jit junction – We didn’t see a parked military vehicle.

At the turn to Highway 60 (toward Huwwara) – installation of nighttime lighting stretching for kilometers is nearing completion, for the settlers of Havat Gil’ad.

14:50  Huwwara checkpoint – A soldier in the guard tower next to the inspection booths.  A soldier guards the hitchhiking station at the entrance to the Bracha settlement.

14:55  Awarta checkpoint – The yellow iron bar is closed as usual – no access to

Nablusfrom here. 

Large military bulldozers working energetically at the northern entrance to Awarta, creating long, high

earthen berms.

Back to Highway 60 – heavy traffic between Nablusand Ramallah.

15:40  Za’tara checkpoint – Two soldiers at the inspection station.  They’re not inspecting.

15:50  Ariel industrial zone –Very large hangers under construction to the north as well as to the south.

16:00  Azzun Atma checkpoint – About 150 Palestinian laborers returning home after a day of work stand in a very long line waiting to be inspected under a canopy sheltering the soldiers (most of whom today wear yarmulkes and earlocks.  One speaks in English – a new immigrant).

The laborers are used to the occupation’s tricks – one day there’s no line, the next day there is.

We contact the humanitarian office so they’ll speed up the crossing – “We’re taking care of it,” they respond; “I’ll do the best I can” [Noga], but it doesn’t appear that anything will really help.

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Translator: Hanna K.

No miracle happened to us, but we did find a jar with oil.

 06:35 Azuun Atma: The queue is shorter than usual. Very many workmen wait on the other side of the road for transportation to work. The CP commander, a reservist, takes care to remove us beyond the CP area. The man seems to be somebody who invests a lot in his job. He directs the waiting people to the checking posts and to another soldier who registers the people who wish to go out. The CP is bordered by fences and plastic obstacles which channel the Palestinians to leave in one direction only. According to him he sees to is that in the afternoon too the queue advances quickly.

We asked one of the people who were waiting to go out and he confirmed that this morning the waiting time was short and yesterday evening too less terrible than usual. It therefore seems that if one wishes one can do that without infringing on the Security of the Fatherland.

06:50 At the Shomron crossing there is no Blue Police at the exit from Israel. A big yellow signpost warns the drivers not to bring their vehicles for repairs at Palestinian garages.

The entrances to Marda and Zeita are open.

Za'tara/Tapuah: There are no soldiers at the checking posts. There is heavy traffic up the hill.

Yitzhar/Burin CPs: There is no military activity.

07:10 Beit Furik:At the entrance to the village there is no flying checkpoint. At the regular Beit Furik CP too there is no military activity.

Awarta: The yellow arm still prevents the passage.

07:45 at the Huwwara CPthere are no soldiers. There is one soldier at the incline up to the pool. We didn't see any soldier in the position opposite the hitchhikers' station.

Burin/Yitzhar:There are no military cars.

08:10 Za'tara/Tapuah:There are border-policemen in the position but there is no obstruction to the traffic.

At the Shomron crossing the checking is superficial.

Translator:  Charles K.

About two weeks ago a deep ditch was dug from the Hamra checkpoint to the Gochia checkpoint, a distance of a few dozen meters, west of the Alon Road, along the route that was flatter before the ditch was dug.  The ditch is more than 4 meters deep, too narrow for a vehicle to pass.  They placed boulders where they were unable to dig.  It’s impossible to cross north of the checkpoint because of the topography (cf. photo in the report).  The result of these obstacles is that the Gochia checkpoint, which is open only three times a week for half an hour in the morning and in the afternoon is the only way for anyone living east of the road to access the area to its west.  In recent months, the Gochia checkpoint has almost never been open.  Up to now it has been barely possible to get around the ditch, and you risked punishment.  Now that’s no longer possible at all.

Despite the new, deep ditch, the Gochia checkpoint remains closed all the time.  At the hour it was scheduled to open a tractor pulling a wagon full of hay was waiting, and only after an hour and a half, during which we telephoned the DCO every ten minutes, did it open.  The driver and five small children waited two hours waited for the checkpoint to open, until 5 PM, and the checkpoint remained closed.  It’s unclear why the army invested so much effort and money to dig the ditch just to prevent a handful of Bedouin from reaching their encampments in the area or the town of Tamun west of the road, and doesn’t even bother to open the checkpoint even for the limited amount of time that was promised.  Malice?  Or obtuseness?  Aren’t people involved here?

Za’tara checkpoint (Tapuach junction) – 11:40
Vehicles coming from the direction of Huwwara are being inspected.  Five cars on line.  Two military jeeps at the checkpoint, but no Palestinian cars have been detained.  There’s a soldier in the observation tower at the junction.

Ma’aleh Efrayim checkpoint – 11:55 – Soldiers are present.  No cars.  As usual, young settlers wait for rides in the soldiers’ booth.

Gitit settlement – We can see that the agricultural area has been expanded.  New sown fields south of the built-up area.  New poultry houses have been built recently.

Hamra checkpoint – 12:15
Three cars wait for people coming through the checkpoint on foot.  They arrive pretty quickly, holding their belts in their hands.  A contractor who goes through every day says that it hasn’t been bad recently.

Vehicles travelling west, to Area A, aren’t inspected, but stop and wait to be waved through.  A new yellow sign was recently erected in front of the checkpoint, announcing that ambulances don’t have to wait on line.

Maskiyot settlement – A new fence has been erected around the settlement, and they took advantage of the opportunity to double its area northward.  Until a year or two ago, there was a pre-military program for religious youth here, with a few buildings to house students, staff and their families.  After the withdrawal from Gush Katif, a number of families arrived who’d been evacuated from one of the localities there.  They built them the villas on the ridge.  The new fence may signify an intention to expand the settlement.

When we visited the Bedouin tents on the other side of the road (where the blue tent belonging to young people from Maskiyot once stood), we were told that three days ago settlers from Maskiyot, along with the head of the settlement’s security who is notorious among the Bedouin, fell upon the women.  They chased away their flock, searched the tents (looking for what?) and then left.  The residents of Maskiyot frequently abuse the neighboring Bedouin, and no one stops them.

We met a mobile clinic on the road to the Tayasir checkpoint – an ambulance with a physician and nurses.  They come from Tubas, where there’s a medical center, and visit the Bedouin encampments twice a week.  Later we saw them at one of the encampments, the ambulance parked on the road, a number of woman and children waiting to be treated.

The ambulance driver complained that they’re delayed an hour or more at the Tayasir checkpoint while the medical staff and ambulance undergo a lengthy inspection.  When we were at the checkpoint we saw them going through quickly toward Tubas.  Was it because we were there?  Or because they were headed to Area A?  Inspections of people going in that direction are faster anyway.

Tayasir checkpoint – 13:20 – 14:30
The checkpoint was empty during most of the first half hour.
We remained in the car to eat lunch.  The commander and another soldier approached us (curiosity), asking whether we need help.  Then the shift changed and when we later went over to the pedestrian checkpoint the new commander (who seemed also to be new to the area) approached, announcing that it’s a closed military area, etc., etc.  Finally we compromised, and remained halfway up the hill. 

As usual at the checkpoint, vehicles are inspected only from one direction at a time, so lines form from the other direction.

14:15 – Fifteen minutes passed before any vehicle on line from the east was called up, and then they started going through quickly.  The taxi drivers collect the ID cards ahead of time, which makes the inspection go faster.  The line of five cars was gone in five minutes.

A closed truck, also on its way to Area A (under Palestinian control), is carefully inspected.  They remove the canvas cover, a soldier climbs up to inspect.  It was carrying empty plastic containers for agricultural produce.

14:25 – A car coming from the west is detained.  The driver argues.  It turns out that he moved forward for inspection without having been signaled to do so.  Then his vehicle is carefully inspected.  He didn’t receive any additional punishment, perhaps because we were watching?

15:05  Gochia checkpoint
Cf. the main points, above.  We telephoned Zaharan, the DCO crossings officer, every ten minutes.  He contacted his representative at brigade headquarters; they tried to find out what was happening, made repeated requests, and each time were promised that someone was on the way to open the gate, but no one came.  We kept nagging.  We had to leave at 16:15 because of commitments.  We gave the tractor driver Zaharan’s phone numbers, and ours, and took his.  That’s how we found out that the gate finally opened at 16:30. 

Ma’aleh Efrayim checkpoint – 16:35
Soldiers are present.  The checkpoint is empty.

Translator:  Charles K.

11:30  Tapuach-Za’tara checkpoint

Heavy traffic from the south (Ramallah) and from the north (Nablus) – No car arrived at the checkpoint during the seven minutes we watched.  There must be a checkpoint or roadblock somewhere farther along the road on the way to Huwwara.

11:50  Ma’ale Efrayim checkpoint -  The checkpoint isn’t manned

We drove to El Auja to see the spring which until ten years ago flowed abundantly and provided water via channels to the town of Auja, the surrounding localities and the Dead Sea (so it won’t dry up, God forbid), 1/3 to each destination.  Rusted dams, blocked channels, and the famous water slide are all ruined, because Israel erected three giant pumping stations nearby and another one higher up the hill, and diverted all the water to the settlements.  And they even had the nerve to ask us to vote for that miserable, neglected site (the Dead Sea) that’s drying up because of Israel’s failures, so that it will be honored by UNESCO…

This is how the El Auja spring looked in 1998.

Now it’s winter, no heavy rains yet, but even though some rain has already fallen the location is as dry as the sole of the occupier’s shoe.  Compare the attached photos.  Note:  the photo of the dams shows the white pumping station “peeking” above the dam.

13:30  Hamra – No cars.  We drove on.

14:00 – Tayasir checkpoint

We’re halfway up the hill to the checkpoint and three soldiers come toward us to chase us away.  One of them says he’s the checkpoint commander, flounces toward me puffing out his chest, announcing “Me – I’m the man!!! Remember me?” (cf. the Jordan Valley report, Hamra, a month ago).  His arrogance and pride, reminding me of the violent incident he oversaw, indicate that the police did nothing about it. 

He yelled at his soldiers to close the checkpoint.  Five minutes later a line of seven cars had formed from the east and six from the west.  We were forced to withdraw in order not to harm the Palestinians.  The journalist tried to explain to the soldiers that harming the Palestinians in order to get rid of us is both illegal and immoral, but his words fell on deaf ears.  I called Zaharan, the DCO officer.  He didn’t answer.

Palestinians we spoke to said that there have been many delays recently at this checkpoint.

(15.12.11 – Two days after this shift, starting at 14:00 in the afternoon, I received four telephone calls from Palestinians reporting that the soldiers at the Tayasir checkpoint are lounging in the shed, not inspecting, not letting anyone cross, and long lines of cars are waiting.  At 16:00, after calls to the DCO and to Zaharan, they began letting people through).

Gochia checkpoint (13:40 and 15:00)

The gate is open; we went in toward Tamun.  Some 300 meters east of the gate are rows and rows of tents and soldiers aiming at targets shaped like people, set up between them and a path on which Palestinians travel.  We were afraid of being hit by a stray bullet.  Isn’t the safety of Palestinians important enough for them to shoot in a different direction?  Cars parked next to the tents, the soldiers’ families visiting their children.  Is that why the gate is open?

(15.12.11 – Two days after this shift there was a call that the gate hadn’t opened at 15:00 as it was supposed to; Palestinians with wives and children were waiting.  The gate opened at 16:10, after calls to the DCO).

16:00 – Ma’ale Efrayim – Manned by three soldiers; three cars waiting to cross slowly from the West Bank to the Jordan Valley.

After Sunday’s reports about checkpoints being established at many locations, we decided to make a complete circuit to see what’s going on.  We saw no flying checkpoints other than one that was removed while we were in the field.  There were more military vehicles than usual on the roads, but they didn’t interfere with Palestinian traffic.

06:40  Eliyahu crossing – A number of cars at the inspection station for Palestinians (from Israel as well as from Palestine).  Crossing takes 5-6 minutes.  The cars are checked by dogs and also by people.  Not many people on the pedestrian line, but we couldn’t time how long it took them to get through because no one wore clothes that stood out and we were standing too far away to identify those entering and remember them.  People coming out said it took about 10 minutes to cross.

07:10  Habla – The gate is already open and we see that many people crossed.  On average, it takes ten people about 6 minutes to go through.  Initially, people were inspected at the guard station, where there was a soldier with a portable computer and a second soldier with a scanner.  Later the computer in the inspection room was turned on and people again crossed there.  At 07:20 the children’s bus arrives, the driver waits for the soldiers to notice him and wave him over to the inspection stations.  He said that people with a 00 license go through without having to stop at the inspection station, and he’ll try to get one.  Then the bus advances to the middle of the crossing and a soldier inspects its baggage compartments – as if something would be smuggled into Habla!

Tractors cross with tools, material, olive seedlings – there’s a great deal going on here.  If only people could live here without the damn checkpoint.

We continued via the entrance to Qalqilya and drove through 'Azzun – no soldiers at the entrances; they’re open (the previous day soldiers were reported to have been there).

08:10  Jit junction – From a distance we saw military vehicles and what looked like a flying checkpoint at the Sara/Huwwara junction.  We decided to first stop by Deir Sharaf – the road to Shavei Shomron.  The checkpoint was open but the police officers standing there stopped a Palestinian for inspection, and us as well.  After inspecting my documents – driver’s license, vehicle registration – and finding out that we just want to see what’s going on here, they let us continue.

We stopped at the bakery in Deir Sharaf.  They told us that Jit junction is closed to traffic driving toward Huwwara.

08:50  Back to Jit junction.  Now two military cars were standing on the side above the junction, but the soldiers were lounging in the cars, apparently not doing anything.  Another military car and civilian pickup truck stood on the side of the road to Huwwara, not doing anything, electrical cables and tools alongside them.  The crossing was open in all directions.  Apparently there’d been a flying checkpoint there which had been dismantled by the time we arrived.  We watched what was going on for a while and then continued to Huwwara.

09:10  Huwwara – The crossing is open.  No soldiers on the road.

09:30  Beit Furiq – The crossing is open, no soldiers on the road  except for the one who’s always at the ascent to Mt. Gerizim.

09:50  Za’tara junction – Soldiers are present who from time to time ask some driver something, but the crossing is open, even if slow.  In fact, we crawled all the way up because the crossing went so slowly.

10:00  The entrance to Ariel/Salfit – No military.  We entered in the direction of the entrance to Salfit to see what’s happening there.  Two soldiers stood at the entrance to the road to Salfit (where there’s a yellow gate that can block the road) who told us we can’t drive to Salfit in a car with an Israeli license plate.  We turned around and returned home. 

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Watchers and reporters:  Ruti R., and Natalie C.

Translation:  Suzanne O.

Shomron Crossing

9:45 a.m. 

There is a police car with 3 policemen parked at the roadblock.

Salfit roadblock

10:00 a.m. 

There are 2 soldiers at the roadblock.  As we had done previously, we offered lifts to Palestinians waiting at the Ariel Junction but they always refuse.

Za'tara/Tapuach Junction

10:05 a.m. 

The traffic flows freely; there are no soldiers at the roadblock.  We saw a soldier in the lookout tower.

Huwwara

10:15 a.m. 

The traffic flows freely; there are 2 soldiers in the lookout tower.

Za'tara/Tapuach Junction

11:45 a.m. 

Empty.  Barbwire have been added to the roadblock car park.  We drove into Yatma and onto Road 60 to Jerusalem.

We didn't see a single roadblock on the way.  We got to Kalandia roadblock.

There we found some dozen cars.  As far as we could see they belonged to Israeli Arabs on their way to the Palestinian Authority territories.

We returned to Tel Aviv via Road 443.