PM
Beit Iba 10/2/2004 Watchers: Hagit A., Ella H., Ilana K. (reporter), Keren We arrived at 14:30. Most of the pressure from the Eastern side of the checkpoint. A constant presence of 60-100 people – women and men, young and old, sick and families with babie – who all want to exit Nablus. Checking is done only at the shack (butke), two to three at a time. Women are given priority and pass easily, but the older women find it difficult to climb the step on the detector pass. Men under 35 without a special permit are not allowed out. The check point is understaffed, and worst of all, there is no presence of an Arabic speaking representative of the DCO. The soldiers are arrogant, rude, impatient and stick to the rules. Students are allowed out only on Wednesday. Each time the crowd does not stand in two lines, they stop the movement to the butke. At 15:00 the crowd grew to about 150, some are waiting for clearance for over 3 hours. The commander of the CP, Koby, does respond to our requests, and gives orders every now and then to release the pressure, but strangely, positions himself at the less problematic end of the checkpoint. Two women ask that we will be present also in the morning, because our presence helps.At 15:45, after all the women and men over 35 pass, the soldier shouts at the rest to turn back to Nablus. The crowed will not budge, and a dangerous dynamic is brewing: the men begin to say among themselves: “let’s all break through, and let them kill as many as they wish.” We call Koby to diffuse the situation. As we leave, a uniformed soldier who is not part of the CP comes up and says: “I know that soldiers who get clearances after 30 minutes, nevertheless, delay the people for hours. You should tell that to the DCO.”
Beit Iba
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A perimeter checkpoint west of the city of Nablus. Operated from 2001 to 2009 as one of the four permanent checkpoints closing on Nablus: Beit Furik and Awarta to the east and Hawara to the south. A pedestrian-only checkpoint, where MachsomWatch volunteers were present daily for several hours in the morning and afternoon to document the thousands of Palestinians waiting for hours in long queues with no shelter in the heat or rain, to leave the district city for anywhere else in the West Bank. From March 2009, as part of the easing of the Palestinian movement in the West Bank, it was abolished, without a trace, and without any adverse change in the security situation.
Jun-4-2014Beit-Iba checkpoint 22.04.04
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