Huwwara, Beit Furik. 3 June 2005 ,Watchers, Esti T., Ofra T., Nili F (reporting) Shai (guest) Huwwara Roadblock10:00 a.m.As we parked in the taxi car park a Palestinian approached us and told us of a group of youngsters being detained near the car park. According to him, in spite of the fact that the soldiers at the northern roadblock allowed them to cross, they have been held. The group consists of ten youngsters who were stopped by the border police patrol who have partly blocked the road.The border police were sprawled on their seats doing nothing. We ascertain from the youngsters that their documents have been taken away. One of the detainees crossed from Nablus. Some of the youngsters do not want to go to Nablus, some are on their way to Nablus.When asked whether they are there in place of the southern roadblock a border policeman replied, “We are not instead of the southern roadblock. Everyone has been checked there, I check according to what I see, according to my suspicions”. They add that the youngsters intend to enter Nablus and came from the south, and that their documents have been taken for checking. Mysteriously, they were all released immediately. Details of border policeman David Shimshi: personal number 7436748, car licence no. 093-611. The youngsters, whose papers were returned to them, each went on his way some southward and some northward.In the car park there are taxis: there are no stalls or traders. Later, at the northern roadblock, a soldier will tell us that they have not been sent away, just moved to the concrete building in the car park. Of course this is totally untrue, and goes to show that the soldiers at the roadblock have no interest in or knowledge about what goes on a few metres away from the roadblock. At the northern roadblock the traffic is light. A few families with small children cross. In the building for the detainees there are a young couple and a young man. The young couple wait for permission for the woman – hers is a blue I.D – to enter Nablus. According to the officer she does not have a permit but the D.C.O. representative is trying to help her via the Brigade. The woman tells us that the fence, in its current planned position, is ruining the natural surroundings.The D.C.O. representative who tried to help the woman to cross was not successful in obtaining a permit for her. He suggests that we contact the Brigade. Esti does so. The Brigade Commander is not there and she asks to speak to his deputy. It turns out that he was not aware of the problem and no one had spoken to him. The D.C.O. representative was furious with the Deputy Brigade Commander’s clerk with whom he had spoken, and to whom he had presented the request as a humanitarian issue. The clerk disagreed with the definition, held up the request and did not pass it on to the Deputy Brigade Commander. On her own initiative she had made the decision and replied that the DBC was not authorised to give such a permit.10:35 a.m.The young woman receives a permit to cross in the direction of Nablus. Esti confirms with the D.C.O. representative that the woman will also be able to return via the roadblock. The D.C.O. representative promises to take care of her return, even if he is not there. Just to be on the safe side Eti supplies the couple with a telephone number in case they run into problems. The couple thank her and go on their way.At the checkpoint a military policewoman bellows across to a border policeman in a passing patrol car “David, David, I love you”, and blows him a kiss.In spite of the light traffic all the checkpoints are staffed. However, only one lets the Palestinians bypass the turnstile for checking.The Palestinian man, in the detainees’ building, is actually not detained. The Officer in charge tells us that he tried to take a sack of sage across to sell it and this is not allowed. The sack was confiscated. The man was given permission to cross into Nablus, but he refused to be separated from his sack, and it is his choice to wait. The officer says that the sack will be passed to an inspector from the Yehuda and Shomron District Nature Reserve & Parks Authority. But the inspector will not come for less then three sacks. The officer adds that if the inspector arrives the young man will be given an NIS650 fine in addition to the confiscation of the sack, therefore, it would be better for him if he gave up on the sack and left. The roadblock officer, who is inclined to be ‘Green’, says: “if this carries on there will be no sage left in Yehuda and Shomron in a few years time”. He is amazed that we think of the Palestinian and his livelihood. When we ask what will happen to the sack of sage, he reckons that the inspector will throw it away. The confiscation is to deter and to save the Palestinian natural surroundings. And that, according to him, is the law.It turns out that the young man has been waiting since 7:30 a.m.; he is from Hares and picked the sage near his house.When we checked with Judith Karp it appears that it would actually be better for the young man to leave the sack of sage, as there is indeed a fine of NIS650. According to her there is an injunction from the Nature Reserve & Parks Authority which applies to the Territories. The injunction, which looks after the natural areas in Israel, has the power to carry out enforcement activities and bring cases to court. The inspector advises the young man that he should be grateful that he was not detained, brought to trial and fined.Although this was communicated to the young man, he still refused to leave.11:15 a.m. D.C.O. NablusThe place is being renovated and appears to be closed. The entrance is blocked. The soldier on lookout duty says that when Palestinians arrive they are let in.11:25 a.m.In the ‘back to back’ roadblock near Awwarta Junction there are lorries moving goods.Beit Furiq Roadblock11:30 a.m.The soldiers at the roadblock confirm that the villagers in the area have to take an indirect route because of Alon Moreh. They have to go via the roadblock. This is because of an “isolated route”, this is what they call the road to Alon Moreh which Palestinians are not allowed to use. One of the soldiers points and says that the Palestinians crossing there “look as if there is no road”. It is obvious that the soldiers at the roadblocks are removed from the problems and distress of the Palestinians, and can dismiss them easily.There is practically no movement at the roadblock.12:00 p.m.At the exit from Huwwara there is a snap roadblock and border police and the army are checking the documents of vehicles.12:10 p.m.At Tapuach Junction concrete obstacles have been set up in order to create a separate lane for Palestinian vehicles, and they are checked at the end of it.