Tulkarm and Jubara checkpoints, Wednesday afternoon, 24 Dec 2003.MachsomWatchers: T.R., I.S., Sh.P., E.P., H.T. (reporting). 13:15, Jubara checkpoint:There is a family (a mother and two sons) who are trying to get to the mother’s parents who live 200 meters from the checkpoint. Following some discussion with the soldiers on duty at the checkpoint, it turns out that as holders of blue IDs, these people may enter only through the Tulkarm checkpoint. We drive the family there. There is little pedestrian traffic at the Jubara checkpoint, and for a few minutes there are more soldiers than people who want to cross. Those coming from the north are not checked at all. There is a long line of taxis waiting to drive into the West Bank. The commander of the checkpoint is rude to us, and is calmed down by a reserve soldier who outranks him. Tulkarm checkpoint:There is little pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and it is flowing freely. There are no detainees and no waiting.The “peacefulness” of the checkpoint is disturbed by the soldiers firing into the air when a car with Israeli plates (stolen, apparently) breaks through the checkpoint without stopping to present the appropriate papers.