Beit Iba, Monday afternoon, 5.6.2006.Observers: Niva D. Yonah A. (reporting)Natanya translating.14.15 On the way to Beit Iba an armoured track stands across the road at the turning to Shave Shomron about one kilometer befor Dir Sharif. A temporary checkpoint and about 5 cars from the east. We park at the side of the road and as we do the armoured track drives off. The drivers tell us there was a blockage of about 15 minutes.We stop at the store at Dir Sharif. We had read Susan’s report of the previous day about the programme of the army to confiscate 700 dunam belonging to the village. We decided to ask the store owner what was happening. There were a number of young men there one of whom told us angrily that nothing was happening, The soldiers do not allow people to pass. The shop is empty, no one buys and there is no ay of way of making a living. He does not understand what we are doing and why we bother to come. At this stage the owner enters the discussion and says that though they are on their guard nothing has happened so far. After a short conversation the young man offers us something to drink and invites us to keep on coming. We went to the other side of the checkpoint. Two tired soldiers meet us and says that today there are no computers and they are working with a paper on which are numbers and against which they check each id. 14.15 8 detainees amongst whom are a woman and a child. The commander explains that the woman is not working but waiting for her husband. Because there are no computers and the soldiers have lists with only 4 numbers more and more people fall into the category of suspects. 15.10 The commander phones and gives the id numbers of those detained. Another soldier comes down from the hill with a sign which says “No Smoking” and hangs it on the post. The commander lights a cigarette. The soldier says nothing but when a Palestinian arrives who is smoking asks him rudely if he cannot read the sign. 15.15 Another 2 young men are sent to the enclosure. The commander climbs the hill. Those detained begin to lose their patience. One goes up to a soldier and says his wife has a doctor’s appointment and they have already been detained one and a half hours. Another explains that each day he passes the checkpoint with no problems. The soldier looks for the commander and in the meantime send another person to the enclosure. 15.35 The commander returns and says “People were detained for no reason.” He makes a note in the id of each person “so that they should not be detained again.” Everyone is freed. “They sat for no reason for 70 minutes. The soldier at the checkpoint takes out his frustration on us. “Because of you we sometimes free wanted men. They should stop you standing at the checkpoints as they have done at Qalandiya.”