Hawwara Sunday 5.6.05 PMObservers: Naomi L. (reporting), Noa P., Tal H. (reporting)Tal:In short – along the no. 5 highway, the way the earthworks are advancing in their extent, it looks as though they’re building a jumbo-jet landing strip. Olive trees are clearly seen uprooted around Marda/Ariel.A child who hopes to go to prison in Israel, so as not to go home- meeting with senior officer Raed, that almost went sour, but still…Shortly before 2 p.m., about 20 vehicles waiting to be checked at Tapuach/Zaatra Junction south and east bound. We did not stop there since Noa had fixed a meeting with Raed at the checkpoint to discuss the venders who have been removed from the parking area south of the abandoned southern CP (full of trash and a chaos of yellow service van-taxis).No flying CP at the Huwara-Yitzhar junction, this time.Huwara Checkpoint: the ex-market is now filled to overflowing with taxis and every other second an accident is miraculously avoided. The hundreds of drivers and passengers can no longer get refreshments on the spot.The amount of trash here threatens Qalandiya’s world record…No detainees as we arrive, the checking posts are spitting-clean. At the posts: one polite MP, one girl soldier who adroitly flirts with her comrades at arms, and alternately ignores and demonstrates vulgar contempt towards her Palestinian “clients”. A moderate and swift flow of pedestrians through one turnstile, there are checking tables next to the magnetometers.Sensation: Right after we arrive, a boy (15 years old, he says) is held by the soldiers. A small kitchen knife is found on his person, and no ID. The DCO representative tells us the boy has come this way to the CP to be arrested and taken to jail in Israel, he is sick of his life in the refugee camp and his father’s beatings. He’s had it. The boy cries at times, otherwise sits quietly waiting in the detainee pen. The soldiers don’t really know what do to about him. Notably commander B. (who’s been gentle) believes him and passes the matter further up. Naomi tries to phone the DCI – Palestinian office that is in charge of welfare matters and children, but no one answers.In the meanwhile, a group of European tourists arrives, wanting to visit Nablus. They wait for contact with the appropriate authority. As usual, they get mixed signals. Until January this had not been a problem, they’re told, but now this can only be done with special permits. Finally, in the lenient spirit of the day, and for the sake of preserving arbitrariness (my conclusion… t.) they are allowed in. It took over half an hour.Lieut. Col. Raed, DCO commander, arrives – see Naomi’s report below3 women tourists exit Nablus. They tell me that upon entry at Beit Furiq this morning, the two Germans among them were allowed entry, the Australian – not. Why? Go figure. So they went back and tried successfully at Huwara. Glad to be heard.After Raed took care of the matter, a Jeep arrives to pick up the boy, probably for questioning. He is made to cover his head with his shirt so as not to see who handles him. As far as we could see, at least, he was handled non-aggressively.The most overt aggressiveness, in fact, comes from two of the soldiers, obviously very bored, at hearing some of what we had to say. Luckily for them this is it, they’re being posted elsewhere as of next week. Commander B. will be missed for his gentle manner. And new masters shall reign.Naomi:14:22 – unlike the southern CP and the pedestrian route overflowing with trash, filth and stench, the active northern checkpoint itself is remarkably clean. There are large trash cans nearby, and the post commander explains that the DCO pays a Palestinian to clean up the place.Reacting to the knife found on the 15-year old (see above), a soldier says: “Couldn’t they find a normal knife, a commando knife… This kind just isn’t worth it”.15:16 – and all along their shift, the soldiers were busy squirting water on each other, laughing and horsing around, taking time to take snapshots of each other with their backs to the Palestinians who waited until they’d get back to checking their IDs. Which is what kids this age are naturally supposed to do with their time… but not at the checkpoint. Luckily there were very few Palestinians.A representative of the Nature Reserve Administration or Ministry of Agriculture (?) stands with his jeep at the CP. A heavy weapon hangs on his shoulder and he conducts lengthy discussions with the CP team: Commander B., H. of the DCO, the girl-soldiers in charge of the dogs, the soldiers on watch. Later he hands them 2 posters with pictures of protected plants and birds and briefs them on when to alert an inspector to confiscate the wild thyme and sage that Palestinians pick in the hills, so they can be fined accordingly. We wonder where are all those nature-loving Israelis when hundreds of olive trees are uprooted, hills are bulldozed and razed. Another question: how could it be that the Palestinians have been picking wild thyme for centuries and still it keeps growing and bearing its harvest every single year?? Perhaps they know what and how to pick? And could this be just another link in the chain of persecution aimed at making the Palestinians’ lives unbearable?15:45 – Raed arrives. We spoke with him about:1. the obstacle course that pedestrians heading into Nablus have to cross at the side of the checking posts, which has not been made accessible for human use.2. the venders that been thrown out of the taxi park to the south.3. the filth, stench, WCs and lack of water around the southern cp4. we said such things could be solved within a few hours if the army regarded Palestinians as human beings who deserve basic human dignity.5. We did not disguise our objection to the actual existence of checkpoints and road blocks deep inside occupied territory.In reply, Raed said there is no chance the venders will be allowed back, because “the army is not prepared to handle a market at the CP”, and “they can go to Huwara and put up their market there”. He promised to fix the pedestrian obstacle course we showed him, claimed that since the south CP is not active now, its environment (trash) is not the army’s responsibility, but promised to look into it, and gave us a proud explanation of the extensive improvements at the CP:”What do you want? No queues, no pressure and crowding” (we also saw hardly any Palestinans…) and asked us to please “talk about real hardships. These are little things…” (meaning the heavy stuff has been taken care of…)16:15 – a young man holds a CD, the soldier yells, “get the CD cover” that carries the word “Jihad”. The boy explains that this is the name of the Egyptian singer whose CD it is, an willingly crumples the cover and throws it away. Inciting material… Another victory for the IDF, hurray!