Beit Iba, Jit Junction, Thursday, 29.9.05, PMObservers: Edna K., Ayelet B. (reporting)Summary:A deaf and mute boy was attacked and beaten by soldiers at a flying checkpoint at Jit Junction.It looks as though the checkpoint is operating efficiently, but actually there are just very few crossing through.13:00 – Jit Junction, no checkpoint.14:04 – Beit IbaA few crossing, very few vehicles. Commander: A, no representative from the DCO. No detainees during our shift. Eight vehicles waiting to enter Nablus. About 20 vehicles waiting to leave to the west. Still only a single turnstile. Pedestrians – constantly in both directions. No delays. A porter reports that the checkpoint is closed from 10-12.14:40 – 15 vehicles waiting from west to east. The soldiers inspecting the cars stop for a lunch break. The commander explains: “They deserve to eat, don’t they?” The wait in line lasts about 45 minutes.14:55 – The wait in line is about 45 minutes. At the inspection at the exit from Nablus there is a truck laden with foodstuffs which is carefully inspected for 25 minutes.15:03 – A huge Israeli truck with two wagons exits Nablus. This is the fourth time during the last month that we have seen such trucks going in or out of Nablus through Beit Iba. This arouses curiosity – if this is an area that is so dangerous that it is even forbidden us to stand there on the eastern side of the shed – how is it that Israel trucks are circulating there?15:15 – the commander, A., rushes to the west with an ID in his hand of a woman who just now finished inspection and forgot it. We thank him. A bus full of passengers at the exit of Nablus. The waiting and inspection take one hour, ten minutes.15:30 – from west to east, 3 vehicles.15:40 – The line at the exit from Nablus is very long – 2 hours. We called the DCO in Nablus. No answer. We called F. no answer. The humanitarian hotline. There are reports from drivers about a roadblock at the Jit Junction, so we decide to go there.16:16 – Jit JunctionSeven vehicles from north to south. Two soldiers next to the barrier inspecitng and two others within the car, one stands with drawn weapon and the second next to the wheel. Everyone ignores us and doesn’t answer questions. At the edge of the road going west-east, at the junction, a bus is parked which we identify as having been at Beit Iba half an hour ago. A deaf and dumb boy who had been hanging around for an hour at Beit Iba with a viper within a plastic bottle is beaten and stabbed by soldiers who got on the bus before we arrived and apparently thought he was mocking them when he didn’t answer their questions or obey their commands. Now his ID is being inspected and all the passengers, among whom are many infants, are waiting. We try to get information from the passengers and to photo the youth. We begin to try telephoning: TZ., voice mail. DCO – as usual, no answer. The office of B – they will pass along the message…Edna succeeds in talking with the spokesman of the Unit and reports to him. Meanwhile, the ID is returned and the bus continues on its way to Qalqiliya.No further detainees and there is quick inspection, about 2 cars/minute. We return to Beit Iba.17:00 – Beit IbaA youth and his wife, from Balata, are taken off the bus on their way to a wedding and are sent back to Nablus. The reason? We couldn’t find out. It seems that he appeared on some blacklist. A few pedestrians in both directions, moving quickly. Two vehicles only from the east. No vehicles from the west. No vehicles from the direction of Qusin.17:15 – We leave Beit Iba.17:20 – Shavei Shomron. Silent.17:30 – Jit Junction – checkpoint with no detainees; quick inspection, about 2 cars a minute.At the border crossing into Israel near Qalqiliya, after small talk in order to introduce ourselves, the polite female soldier explains to us that, next time, we should cross over in the guise of overlords, since we were mistaken to wait in the line of second class Israeli citizens.