Zaatara, Sarra, Huwwara, Beit Furiq 21/03/2004 Watchers: Donna B., Hannah L., Dinna A., Snait G. (reporting) We were accompanied in parts of our shift by a film director (woman) and a photographer who are doing a movie on the ”fence/ wall/ checkpoints”.There seemed to have been a security alert regarding an individual trying to get out of Nablus via vehicle, because these and their passengers were thoroughly checked everywhere. 7:25, Zaatara. Two soldiers checking, two “covering”; about 50 men and women waiting in two lines, 47 vehicles – lorries, vans, cabs, buses. The soldiers are polite, know Arabic, try to help people, efficient – but the volume of traffic is far beyond their ability to cope. We called the DCO office [IDF Civilian Administration Authority], and two various branches of the section headquarters and asked them to send more soldiers in the hours between 2-9 PM. 7:50. A “flying” [unannounced mobile] checkpoint a bit after the turning to the wild settlement of Chavat Gilead. They check vehicles, are quite polite. 8:10, Sarra. Concrete paths for people on both sides of the CP. No one around, the soldiers are on the hilltop. Only lorries with building materials for the army castle on top are allowed. The soldiers said there was a closure [restriction of passage] in effect, but after some more questions they told us that the teachers were admitted in.Donna, the film crew and an acquaintance of hers from Madame village, went to the DCO office of the area (see separate report). 8:25, Huwwara south. Extremely crowded. 9 detainees who said they had been waiting between 1/2-1 hour. Their ID numbers had not been transferred to the GSS [Israeli Security Service] for checking until we came and nagged and called the DCO office. Whether due to misunderstanding or not, one detainee (aged around 16-17) had his hands bound behind him because, we were told, “He cursed a soldier,” and “This is an act of aggression.” Only after they heard us phone the DCO office about this and the above did they consent to listen to the young man’s uncle, and finally release the youngster. The situation remained pretty bad for quite a while, with some detainees being released and new ones being held; with long queues of people, without any attempt to separate older from younger; with one of the soldiers stopping all checking “Until people stood in line,” etc. etc.Two of us stayed in the south and one went up north. Huwwara north. Ofer was not around today and the other DCO officer did things politely, quite efficiently, but “by the book.” Queues of pedestrians were average. Queues of cars and ambulances were extremely long and blocked the passage from the south as well. After some nagging by us, the DCO officer went to check the vehicles – with ambulances first. While on that job he completely ignored any appeals on behalf of other issues. A van with a few Frenchmen had managed to get a permit after they called, we called, and gave them more info etc.We managed to accomplish very little there. 10:15, Beit Furiq. Just as in Sarra, there are new concrete paths for people (“To help the Palestinians,” one soldier explained) and some other concrete construction, probably for the detainees. No people passing in either direction. They said Beit Furiq itself was under encirclement [closed for all movement in/out]. 11:00, Huwwara north. Just to check that the DCO consents to talk with a fellow who came with the medical documents of his hospitalized brother (run over by a car), whose van had been impounded a month ago and remained parked next to the CP. We have been asking the DCO to talk to him for a long while before we left for Beit Furiq. We do not know what was the result. On consulting both the DCO center and the IDF “Humanitarian” Center [handling suspected abuse alerts] earlier both said, that the brother had to go to the DCO office in order to get the van back for his hospitalized brother. 11:15, Zaatara. Neither vehicles nor people.