Rihan, Monday, February 20, 2006, AM Observers: Ziva H, Nava R (reporting)10:15 – 11:40 Rihan 10:15 The checkpoint is empty of people.At the vehicle checkpoint, a car passes every few minutes in the direction of Israel/seam zone. A commercial vehicle loaded with vegetables, mostly potatoes, is waiting for inspection. From now on, animals are not allowed through the checkpoint on the orders of the Ministry of Health (hoof-and-mouth disease scare).Very few people crossing at pedestrian checkpoint.While we are going down the fenced-in sleeve on the way to the terminal, the checkpoint commander informs us that, on the orders of the company commander, MW women are forbidden to use the paths used by the Palestinians on the way to the checkpoint, but may only go outside the wire, and talk to them across the wire: all this for personal safety (ours or theirs?).What remains for us is to meet the Palestinians at the upper parking lot, far from events and distant from the soldiers.