Huwwara, Sunday 11.6.06 PMObservers: Judit B., Galit G., Noa P., Naomi L. (reporting with Galit)Za’atara Junction: 15:44 – a cab coming from Qalqiliya detained, all its passengers awaiting the return of their IDs. In the cab, an Egyptian subject with an invalid passport (expired a year ago) who is trying to reach his home in A-Ram where he has been living with his family for 4 years. He has no Palestinian ID and the soldiers are waiting for the Brigade HQ’s reply “what to do with him” (they don’t get such a “catch” every day… )Speaking with him we learn his 9-year old son is ill (“something in his head”) and is being treated alternately in Ramallah and Jerusalem Hadassa Hospital. All the other 6 passengers are held up on his account, until a decision will be taken about his fate.An hour later we were informed on our phone by his fellow travelers who received their IDs and proceeded on their way, that the Egyptian subject was taken off the cab and was still waiting at the CP.On our way home at 19:00 he was no longer there, and the soldiers said they had released him an hour and a half earlier.Instead, standing by the concrete pillar, was a young man with a magnetic card (clearing him with the security authorities who works at Barkan Industrial Zone and was on his way home. Detained for two hours already. We asked army hotline to speed up his check.A line of over 30 vehicles has accumulated coming from Nablus while we were there. The posts were ‘reinforced’ by Border Patrolmen, and since their arrival everything moves even more slowly.At Huwara –Burin (Yitzhar) Junction the vehicle line is not too long, unlike the unbearably long line on our way back this evening.Huwara CP-Besides the piles of garbage and filth on the floor, the back lockup where ‘honored’ detainees are held has been reinforced with an iron gate completely blocking the cell from view. Is this so that we will no longer see who’s inside?CP commander – R., DCO representative – A.Palestinians are staying away from the CP, this has become the unspoken rule. Whoever doesn’t absolutely have to go somewhere, just doesn’t come out. Because of the many checkpoints, because of the financial cost, because of despair.16:00 – the commander and his men callously turn back several elderly people and women who dared to open the side gate (“humanitarian line”) of their own initiative, and pass there. After getting everyone back into the line, the gate is locked and from now to the end of our shift, except for once, the gate was closed – to punish and chastise the locals not to open the gate themselves. This is what Roi himself told us, the CP commander. To the securing soldier, he said: “When they open the humanitarian gate themselves, you should see it.” Most of the women and elderly had to go through the turnstiles this time. Fortunately, the line was not terribly crowded.Last week I was called at home by a man who introduced himself as “doctor”, spoke perfect Oxford English in a very pained, insulted and angry voice. He said he had just left Huwara CP and went back to Nablus after refusing to go through the humiliating body search by loud, callous gum-chewing women-soldiers who make insulting snide comments. He is not willing to expose his bare body to women-soldiers while men soldiers are present at the CP. This is debasing and offensive and nowhere in the world has he seen the likes of it. Why, he asked, do women-soldiers search men and men-soldiers search women? I inquired at the army hotline, and their response was as follows: “There is no such thing. The women-soldiers are very courteous and do not tell anyone to lift their shift and expose their belly, nor open their trousers’ button in order to get dressed again.” The DCO too said this complaint had nothing to do with reality at the CP.And today: the checking posts at the men’s lines are womanned by MPwomen, some of the pedestrians are required to untuck their shirts and expose belly and back, all their pockets are emptied. At times women-soldiers touch their bodies with the manual magnetometer. Whoever does not leave the CP with his shirttails out of his trousers has to open his trousers and get dressed in view of the women-soldiers. They also fumble inside people’s bags, unzip all zippers, wallets are inspected, all this while a rifle barrel is pointed at them at a distance of 30 cm. Today the women-soldiers were quieter and more courteous. Still, how has the army not realized by now that body checks of men by women-soldiers is seen by them as a major offense to their dignity and they feel humiliated by this procedure??? Needless to mention that when the “humanitarian” gate is opened, women are checked by male-soldiers.16:15 – as there is no “humanitarian” gate, the lines crowd up in spite of the small number of pedestrians. Almost no vehicles. The system has dried up life here. Whoever doesn’t urgently need to cross, does not approach the CP.16:22 – an old man connected to an oxygen tank and accompanied by his two sons, arrives on foot, walking in tiny measured steps on the road all the way to the distant taxi park.16:34 – the women-soldiers at the checking posts are replaced by male-soldiers. The side line is opened after we asked several times, and closed again, not to be reopened until we leave.Palestinian citizens of Israel coming out of Nablus get a clarification talk by a MPman who explains they would need to get an entry permit to visit their families living in Nablus. His tone is reprimanding and patronizing, this is the very last time he lets them off so easily, next time he’ll summon police for them, etc. Fortunately for them, they were not detained and police wasn’t summoned.17:00 – The CP nearly empty.A., of the army’s “humanitarian” hotline asks if we know whatever happened to the Egyptian subject detained at Za’atara. We are happy to inform him that on our way out, we’ll make sure to ask the soldiers.Huwara-Burin (Yitzhar) Junction:18:30 – Godawful mess. Dozens of vehicles (over 40) coming from the west and from Huwara CP are crowding into 2 lanes, one soldier securing, one soldier checking, and one soldier doing nothing. The travelers westbound cannot proceed because passage is blocked by waiting vehicles. These block the cars moving to Nablus, and… Heavens! even settlers’ cars. Loud honks from all directions including army humvees who get so upset over the jam. As we stand near the checking post they start waving vehicles through without checking them. Some of the vehicles, at absolute random, are checked, nevertheless. We called the army hotline and asked to reinforce the junction, so checking would be more speedy. No go.The humvees passing by stopped to chat with the soldiers, thus slowing down business even more, and then disappeared. People inside cars aggravated and desperate, children flushed – another 5 minutes and they’ll be standing again, at the Za’atara CP.