Blockading the entrance to Izbet Tabib

12:45  A view of the yellow gate that’s always closed on the road to Alfei Menashe.  ‘Arab A-Ramadin.  A shed under construction at the school to replace one of the tents.

13:00  Habla.  The soldiers are there, setting up.  Five Palestinians wait to enter.

13:05  The gates open, the first five people enter for inspection.  A tractor, pickup truck and the first five people leave Habla.  Everyone arriving goes through without delay.  We leave.

13:30  Eliyahu checkpoint.  The dog pen is covered by a blue tarpaulin.  A dog and its handler wait in the inspection area.  One of the supervisors hurries over to remind us photography is not allowed.

13:45  The entrance to Izbet Tabib is blocked, but you can go through on foot.  Later we’ll return here from the other direction.

We enter Izbet Tabib via Azzun.  A military vehicle at the entrance; we’ll meet it again later.

13:55  Izbet Tabib.  In Biyan’s courtyard we meet two young men from ISM (International Solidarity Movement – an international organization whose members come to the West Bank for various periods of time; they live in Hebron and Nablus).  They tell us Biyan went to Qalqilya; yesterday the army made a gap for small cars to go through but the residents moved some of the boulders and widened it.  The army blocked the entrance again.  Soldiers didn’t enter the village at night.  There’s no one at the school or the protest tent.

A new fence surrounds the school.

We meet Heidi and two more members of EAPPI and drive with them to the village entrance.

14:10  The bulldozer starts working; three armed soldiers prevent people from approaching.  Large concrete cubes are moved, boulders dumped and construction of the checkpoint begins slowly but with careful planning.  Two rows of boulders, not one this time, and not only boulders but a huge amount of earth and rocks to reinforce the barricade.  Dust rises; Palestinians gather to watch the show.  The soldiers wouldn’t talk to us.  They won’t answer any questions.

One load, then another – they build a barricade no one can cross or move.

Women and children watch from the courtyard of their home – the show goes on and on.  We’re glad we were fortunate enough to arrive in time to document this outrageous act.

Someone says:  A barrier like this is nothing but an invitation to throw rocks at vehicles driving on Highway 55 because no one can go through it to chase them.

H. from Azzun joins the crowd; Karin interviewed him on video.

15:00  We leave before the military operation is done and drive to Azzun.  H., who came with us, says that 31 people from Azzun were arrested in November alone.  They were all taken from their homes at night and are still in prison, some in Megiddo and some in Huwwara.  What are they accused of?  Throwing stones.  Routine.

15:20  We visit our friend Z., unload the parcels for his shop.

We continue via Thult, Khirbet al-Ashkar and Beit Amin to Azzun Atma to see whether the soldiers have returned to the northern gate.

15:45  Gate 1459 is manned.  The soldiers are surprised by the unexpected visit of Israeli women, tell us to turn around and leave immediately (without photographing, of course) after we told them we took the wrong road.

We drive via Bidiya and Barkan.

16:30  Shomron checkpoint.  7 cars in each lane but they go through quickly.

The end.