Soldiers at checkpoints

7.00 am, Bethlehem:  quite a lot of activity in spite of the rain, cold and, as we were to discover later, the almost impenetrable fog on the road south. People told us that passage through the checkpoint was quick because there were fewer people than usual owing to the weather.

At the checkpoint itself a man showed us a woman with three children who were not being allowed through. One of the children did not have a permit. I should point out that this was at a side post, where there was no other activity, so we were not interrupting any soldier’s work.  As we approached her to see what exactly was the matter (she was due to go with them to a hospital) a military policewoman – an officer and, according to her, the commanding officer of the place - came and told us to move back to the wall as it was a ‘closed military area.’  We pointed out that this was not so or, if so, she should show us the printed order.  She physically pushed Chaya away and to the wall.  While we were arguing the point, first a Civilian Administration officer came out and was non-committal, though seemed to agree that we had a point but the soldier was adamant – and all the time physically stopped us from getting near the post.  Finally a policewoman came and she and the soldier went away into their quarters. The policewoman seemed to be more understanding.  (Hopefully, she may have taught the soldier the correct procedure.  But how do you undo years of brutalizing education?)  By this time, the woman with her children had, of course, vanished so we could not help her – but we will lodge a complaint.

7.50 am. Entrance to El Khadr:  a pre-arranged meeting on behalf of Sylvia – signing of power of attorney and payment.

8.08  am.  Etzion DCL: Eight men were waiting outside as the office opened.  They continued to wait until we suggested that they go inside.  Apparently they are so used to being given orders (and assigned numbers) that they were reluctant to go in on their own – in spite of having waited in the freezing cold.

8.40 am. Beit Ummar: a ‘no show’ – probably on account of the weather.  A man approached us with a police traffic report.  As it was still within in its valid period, he was advised simply to pay the fine.

Entrance to Halhul: as arranged, we returned papers to a man who was refused  a permit, whom our lawyer felt he was unable to help. The man decided to try another lawyer.

9.00 am.We had a pre-arranged meeting on behalf of Sylvia – signing of power of attorney and payment.

A few phone-calls came in – people asking for progress reports on their cases, or new cases of refused permits.

Translation: Bracha B.A.

16:10-17:30

16:10 – Shaked-Tura Checkpoint
There are few people crossing.  It is cold and rainy and there are dark clouds to the southwest and a rainbow in the clouds to the north.  The well-dressed banker's new car is still not listed on his permit, and he has to walk back to his home in Dahar al Malakh.  A youth rides through on a white donkey, both are wet.  A soldier in the lookout point plays songs on his harmonica. 

16:40 – Reihan Barta'a Checkpoint
There are a lot of workers hurrying down the sleeve to the terminal.  There are two windows open.   Rain is pouring down on the small covered area in front of the turnstile and it remains open, evidently out of consideration for the people who are hurrying in out of the rain and arrive wet.   One of the workers tells us that he worked all day welding without any roof over his head.   There are four "illegals" sitting on the bench.  One of them is an old friend of Hassida's and is pleased to see her and sends regards to everyone, especially to Tami.   

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.

Translation: Ruth Fleishman

We were last in line, waiting for the turnstiles to open so that we could pass into the inner inspection area. Neither we nor the people before us had noticed that the soldiers' post had been abandoned and the revolving mechanism was disconnected. Only one child who had passed through the gate before his mother had, stood on the other side, all alone, there was no going forward or backward. The child was entrapped.
During the first moments the child smiled with embarrassment, and then the smile was replaced by a worried gaze. He brought his body closer to his mother who was standing on the other side of the metal bars, took her hand and grabbed it tightly like a life preserving anchor.
The Palestinians, who are used to the arbitrariness by which the place is run, moved to the parallel inspection lane with acceptance. We stayed with the mother, cetin that within a minute or two the problem would be resolved. After all everything that happens in the checkpoint is filmed and broadcasted live to the plasma screens of those who run the site.
We were wrong.

The tears that started streaming down the cheeks of the child caused us to hurry and make some calls. We thought that as soon as we inform the hot lines the child would be released.
We were wrong again.

They all gave us the same answer: "I'm making inquiries".
We called again: "I'm making inquiries".
After twenty minutes, after having promised the mother and her son that "any moment now…"- "they will just look at their camera and someone will come and press the button…", "But I've only now explained to them, they are making inquiries and it will all be alright…", we understood that there was no telling how long the child will remain entrapped and detached from his mother, and Roni went to the parallel lane to request the help of the soldier sitting there, while I stayed with the mother and kept trying to talk to the people at the hot lines who over and over again could understand and connected me with the officer in charge, who also didn't understand and we ended up having an incomprehensive dialog.
-    The officer: "what is the name of his mother?"
-    Me: "I don't know"
-    The officer: "how will I identify him?"
-    Me: "He has two legs… why do you need to identify him?- just let go!!"
-    The officer: "wait, I don't understand, explain again, is he in the red zone?- where does he want to go to?"

Nearly thirty minutes later a solider from the offices was sent to press the releasing button. But before pressing he insisted on explaining that actually: "the child is to blame. He shouldn't have passed to the other side on his own". Not only was it the victims fault, but it was possible to prolong his suffering and put forth the occupier's narrative.

No one believes the Palestinians. That's why they are always equipped with a bundle of documents that prove their disabilities, their situation and their very existence.
Such was the 71 year old person from Jerusalem, a disabled and sick man who has difficulty walking and waiting in the cramped lines of Qalandiya only makes it harder for him.
The man presented before us his disability certificate, as proof of his bad health and told us how he is mistreated at the passage for residents of Jerusalem, where in spite regulations that allow the disabled elderly and pregnant women to remain seated in the bus, he is force to come down, walk to the pedestrians' checkpoint, stand in line, pass the turnstiles and be inspected (again) by the soldier.
"Write down what I'm telling you. Write it down"- he asked.

Translated by Jenny L.

Route 60

Strong winds blowing; very little traffic on Route 60. At the foot of Beit Haggai, the entrance to the southern approaches to Hebron has for some time been blocked with stone blocks. In the last year they also added a barbed wire fence, as if anyone could get through this blockade. This morning the fence has been folded back to the side of the road and soldiers in an armored vehicle are on guard there. "Who or what are you guarding?" "We don't know," they answer.

We decided today to travel in the direction of Tekoa, which means turning east at the entrance to Sa'ir and to continue on to Tekoa, toward Jerusalem. We went into Hebron on the way back.

Route 3517 - Route 3670

The road is pretty and silent. A section of it is in fact the continuation of Route 356. Further on, the road leading according to the sign to the veteran settlements Meizad/Asphar which looks to be well established and not far from it, the settlement 'Pnei Kedem', where they are still living in caravans. On a hilltop nearby caravans are to be seen, which aroused our interest. The track was very rough and fearing for our vehicle, our driver parked at the side of the road. All at once we noticed a group of soldiers at the top of the hill. We approached them, in the hope of getting answers to our questions. They are reserve soldiers, tolerant and smiling. "Ah, you're from Machsom Watch!! I'm for you!" exclaims the reservist with the biggest smile.  "No. I didn't mean that, I'm just fooling around. On the contrary!" he continues. "What are you doing here," we ask. "Guarding the road" "What is there to guard?" "That there won't be any problems, any penetrations," they reply. "What's on the hill?" we ask. "We don't know," they answer.  "Good and obedient" soldiers like these draw out our anger about the occupation.  They quietly listen without saying anything. They explain where the settlements seen on the sign are to be found and we drive on to see them. They are located on hills at a high elevation from which all the surroundings can be seen. The military base is located immediately adjoing Meizad. Again we see the symbiosis the authorities have so cleverly created. The fact is again evident that everyone in these places is here with the Government's blessing. The signs indicate that the road continues to the Etzion Bloc.

We returned to the road leading to Tekoa, all the village road signs are primarily to Jewish settlements. Almost all their neighbors, in their villages since time immemorial, might as well be invisible. They don't exist on the map. We continued on to the southern approaches of Jerusalem. The Har Homa neighborhood stands out like a thorn on the landscape. We returned to Route 60.

Hebron

At the entrance to Kiryiat Arba, the guard again, for the thousandth time, requests ID from M. our driver. And yet again we too insist on presenting our IDs. Again a phone call is made to notify our arrival.  The Golani flags are blowing in the wind. Again and again we see "Gideon Family" emblazed on their ensignia. In the city itself, the soldiers have hung posters: "The Lions of Wrath". This is what they call themselves.

We had arranged to meet someone who for eight years has been trying without success to obtain a permit to work in Israel. We gave him the relevant information and were again forced to remark that it wasn't at all certain that we could help him. Our sense of helplessness is a constant source of despair.

Because it was so late, we were "fortunate" enough to see a group of female teachers at the Tarpat checkpoint on their way back to H2. A soldier is trying to direct them to go through the magnometer. They refuse. To our joy, he "remembers" that it's permitted to allow people to go home without being checked and he opens the gate. An exchange of looks between us, small signs of victory exchanged between the women and us, and they turn to go home. "Such happiness."

Translator:  Charles K.

06:20  A’anin agricultural checkpoint
An especially cold day, few people going to work – only a few dozen.  The procedures are conducted in the front portion of the checkpoint.  A youth isn’t allowed through; he returns from whence he came.  A minute later he shows up holding some document which doesn’t satisfy the soldiers who send him back again.  A man coming through said they didn’t let him cross because his birth certificate wasn’t enough for the soldiers; they wanted him to bring a parent (he was 12-16 years old).

The children of the Bedouin family living at the foot of the checkpoint are excited.  There’s an English test today; the girls examine us, whether we can read English and perhaps even some Arabic.

07:00  Tura (Shaked) checkpoint
The soldiers arrive now at the checkpoint, which opens ten minutes later to people coming from the West Bank to the seam zone.  Most of those crossing to the West Bank are vehicles, pupils and students, functionaries and other workers.  The pupils come running, open their school bags, soldiers check and they go across.  Nothing special is happening.  The occupation routine!  Both the horse and its rider know what they have to do; everyone plays the game perfectly.

07:40 - 08:20  New Barta’a checkpoint
The lower parking lot is completely filled with Palestinian vehicles.  People coming from the West Bank enter the terminal without delay.  Everything seems to proceed peacefully.  The scanner doesn’t expose what people are feeling as they enter and leave.  We get hints from their comments when we say “Shalom” as they pass us:  “What peace?  Peace with whom?”

Trucks loaded with food wait on the road for their turn to be inspected.

A rainbow arcs across the sky but immediately changes its mind.  Heavy gray rain clouds cover the sky.  We hurry to pick up a father and his two small children to bring them to Rambam Hospital.  Another slight delay while the father’s identity is verified, and why didn’t he coordinate his trip ahead of time, and other questions that are asked very politely – but aren’t able to conceal the fact that the negotiation is being conducted between the ruler and the ruled.  And at the same time Israeli vehicles cross in both directions with a wave of the hand, and then disappear.
 

Translated by Jenny L.

Meitar Crossing

the parking lot on the Israeli side is full of cars and workers who have not yet set out on their journey. The Palestinian side is empty - as each person arrives they are quickly checked and pass through the checkpoint.

Route 60

All checkpoints are open and there is a good flow of people. There is a heavy presence of IDF vehicles along the Route.

Hebron

It's cold and clear in the city. Children are walking to school bundled up in coats. International volunteers are in place at the checkpoints, counting the number of people going through the crossings. Golani soldiers appear to be at loose ends, supervising but scarcely interfering with the flow. The city is quiet and clean, with an element of tension in the air because of the military jeeps circulating between checkpoints.

Route 317

The Ziff Junction - we went into the grocery store to buy something and also to find out whether indeed a Palestinian had forced his way through the checkpoint and been shot on Saturday. According to the grocer's version of events, it was a Palestinian who had been driving an unlicensed vehicle and burst through the checkpoint to escape from the police. Thus an incident of a crimininal background, not a nationalistic one.

We went via Hirbat Tiwani to take a look at digging operations and then made our way back home.

Translator:  Charles K.

Tura (Shaked) checkpoint  07:05-07:35

The checkpoint's gates are open and traffic flows.  People aren’t held up at the turnstile on the Tura side, and there's no line of cars waiting to enter Palestinian Authority territory.  The banker arrives at the checkpoint from his village, on foot.  He's bought a new car but doesn’t yet have a permit to enter and leave from Tura, only from Barta’a.  So he leaves the car at Tura and walks home and to the checkpoint.

Pupils crossing through the checkpoint

A few children aged about nine arrive on foot from nearby Daher al-Malk.  The school transport arrives at the same time with about 15 children, in kindergarten and the lower grades.  They leave the vehicle and run happily toward the checkpoint, opening their schoolbags for the female soldier to inspect (she’s armed but her weapon isn’t cocked; a soldier nearby guards her, also armed but not pointing his gun at the children).  She peeks into the bags; the children run quickly to the Tura exit gate.  At the same time Y., the driver, leaves his vehicle outside the gate, walks to the inspection building, returns to the vehicle, and drives toward the soldiers, who open the doors and peek in.  He then exits the checkpoint toward Tura and picks up any children who need a ride.  Some of them walk on their own to the village school.

Barta’a (Reihan) checkpoint  07:45-8:20

The parking lot is almost full but no one is double-parked yet.  The new “kiosk” stands next to the prayer corner; a friendly guy offers his wares:  coffee, tea, cigarettes and sweets.

We left a letter with him, from Chana to someone from Yabed village, explaining what he must do to obtain a permit to work in Israel.  After some misunderstanding (T., wearing a red keffiyeh, offered to take the letter to Yabed for NIS 50, but the owner of the kiosk eventually understood that the person would come pick it up from him and everything was arranged).

A pickup truck loaded with merchandise waited to be called for document inspection.  He’s the only one for now, and seems to be waiting until more vehicles arrive.  The first wave of merchandise inspections apparently hasn’t been completed yet (the inspection includes unloading all the merchandise wrapped in plastic, inspecting all the items, putting them back into the plastic wrapping and leaving.  The entire procedure, involving Palestinian porters and inspectors who are apparently Israelis, takes place behind closed doors and lasts about two hours).

Mevo Dothan checkpoint   08:30-08:40

We left a bag containing women’s clothing in the village (with a woman who wanted a ride to Jenin but then realized that we weren’t going there).  We didn’t have any children’s clothing.

At the Dothan checkpoint, as usual, the soldiers saw us from afar and approached to warn us not to cross into Area A.  The soldiers are apparently an ultra-Orthodox Nahal unit.  A long line of vehicles is visible coming from Jenin, and another line has already formed on our side.  Although vehicles going to Jenin must cross “wahad-wahad” (one-by-one), they’re not inspected.  Vehicles coming from Jenin have only their documents inspected, because the road doesn’t lead to Israel but to other Palestinian villages.

We understood that things would go faster if we left, so we did.  Later, in Barta’a (where we went to bring warm clothing to our friend W., whom we’ve known since he was a youth), we heard that yesterday ( On Saturday? The ultra-Orthodox Nahal unit?) there was a long line and soldiers conducted a very slow, careful inspection, and it was hard.