Jubara, Anabta, Monday PM, 20 March 2006 Watchers: Niva D., Irit, Yona A. (reporting)Jubara13:45 – We passed the checkpoint and entered the village. In front of us, an empty bus that’s dropped off the children, who have gone home. The Schoolchildren’s Gate is open. Two soldiers are standing by a military vehicle and two others are manning the two positions. The checkpoint is empty – neither people nor vehicles.13:55 – we park at Abu Hatem’s. One detainee at the southern checkpoint says that they took his ID a long time ago, and are not releasing him. The soldiers are chatting with two civilians wearing skullcaps [i.e. Jewish, religiously-observant] – one a youth, the other an older man. We tried to clarify with a soldier regarding the detainee. The soldier’s response: “Everything’s okay.”The young civilian asks: “Does he owe you something?”We continued to the north checkpoint.14:00 – two soldiers with skullcaps – one of them large and oliveskinned, with a thick beard, checking the few pedestrians coming out of Tulkarm. The second soldier is checking people who have already been checked at the southern checkpoint. Three women are asked where they are from, and answer “Jubara. They wait five minutes, then the soldier asks again where they are from, and lets them pass.14:10 – great excitement. The two religious civilians arrive from the south checkpoint, accompanied by another soldier. The “distinguished elder” shakes hands with the soldiers and the conversation flows. The Palestinians wait. A sergeant arrives, checks the driver of a taxi who is waiting patiently and passes him through. The “rabbi” takes his leave of his disciples. An empty bus arrives. The driver gets out, shows his ID and is sent back to Tulkarm.On our way back to the car, we try to clarify with the checkpoint commander why the detainee is not being released. He explains to us that the ID looks like a forgery, and the blue [Israeli civilian] police are on the way.Anabta14:40 – a long line of cars at the entrance to Anabta, stretching to the junction. We counted 24 cars. At the checkpoint, two soldiers, on both sides of the road, checking pedestrians and vehicles from both directions. A police jeep is standing by the lookout tower. A truck loaded with flour sacks is compelled to turn around and go back the way he came. We get a detailed explanation from a soldier of the prohibitions in force this afternoon: Tulkarm residents can’t come out, neither in vehicles nor on foot. Commercial goods neither enter nor leave unless the load is of a kind that can be checked to be sure it does not present any danger. The trucks are standing in line for a long while in order to reach the checkpoint and be told to turn back. A youngster from Tulkarm approaches a soldier and asks him to let a tanker go through. We hear only part of the conversation during which the Palestinian reports that the tanker is driven by a Jew.The tanker approaches the checkpoint. Its number plates are changed. The Jewish driver changes place with the Palestinian and the tanker moves on in the direction of Anabta.15:00 – pedestrians trying to come out of Anabta. The soldier explains that they cannot pass. After another attempt at persuasion, they turn back. Youngsters are asked to raise their shirts while they are still a way off from the checkpoint. Those entering Anabta – some are not checked, others the soldiers probe packages and the women’s handbags. The soldier explains to us, enthusiastically, the logic behind each of his decisions. We try to explain to him the lack of logic in changing decisions that embitters the lives of the local residents.