Huwwara, Sarra, Beit Furiq 28/03/2004 Watchers: Dina A., Hannan L., Snait G. (reporting) There were alerts which were accompanied by flying CPs and made soldiers adhere more than usually to a strict following of regulations (age limit: 16-35 into Nablus, 16-45 out of Nablus). 7.15. A flying CP on the main road next to Marda (not far from Zeita), a long line of vehicles, strict checking of cabs, vans and lorries. All passengers have to get out, and both vehicle and their IDs checked. There were no detainees as all these people, as they told us, had by then already gone through at least one and more often two CPS. Average waiting time: 20-30 minutes. The group of soldiers was small, and two of them stood in the adjacent filed with their guns directed towards the area between the road and the village, reasonably polite and efficient too 7.40, Zaatara. Almost empty when we arrived there; filled up with around 20 vehicles by the time we moved on. Again, only two soldiers checking 8.10, Sarra. The lower gate was open. No people on the uphill road, as it has become illegal for them to walk that way up to their own village. On top of the hill, a new “Castellum Sarra” with metal tower and concrete walls has been erected. The concrete paths on both sides have been completed, but there were no people passing. Apparently, the road to Nablus cannot be used by anyone coming from outside the village, but the size of the place at present may be an indication that the army plans some rerouting of Palestinian traffic in the larger area around Sarra. We managed to have a couple of words with female teachers going into the village. They could not provide any info on what was going on inside it. The soldiers were ready to talk with us; said they had no detainees. 8.25, Huwwara. Nablus under encirclement — meaning that no males between 16 and 35/45 without permit or other ”evidential papers” (see below) are allowed in nor out. South. There were 6 detainees — young people (16-19), some of them pupils who were put there by the commander for trying (daily, according to him) to sneak at the head of the queue. They had already been there for around an hour when we came. Their IDs were cleared. He said he intended to teach them a lesson by leaving them there for the full three hours. We talked with him. When we came back around ½ an hour later they were already gone. Otherwise, less than medium size queues. Soldiers polite and efficient; the same goes for vehicles checking. No students of other universities but A Najah allowed in. North. Longer queues. Very strict checking of both person and loads of people passing. No detainees. The van from last week was still there. Newly confiscated cabs — for 4 days — the reason given: they crossed the line into the CP area in order to pick passengers. One of them tried to flee (the cab driver’s report on the incident) and the soldier thought he was attempting to run him over. We called the DCO office and they promised to try and change the length of the confiscation and also to deal with the van’s owners family. Back to South. The detainees gone, no new ones. A DCO person has meanwhile arrived, who turned out to be one of those “By the Book” people (tall with roundish face, wears glasses). He absolutely refused to exercise either his judgment or his prerogative. We tried to help with four out-of-the-ordinary cases and failed: 1. A mixed citizenship couple (Jordanian and Palestinian) who were trying to get with their 3 months old baby into Nablus to register her. The officer did not allow the man in, and they turned back in bitter disappointment.2. A man from Ramallah who wanted to go to Jifltlik via Nablus rather than all the way through Jericho. 3. A man with a company’s van who had license only for himself, and was told 2 weeks ago by Ofer that he should get one for the company’s car by April 15th (I was actually present then), and he would be let in and out until then. 4. A 33 years old man who wanted to pick up his wife from hospital after an operation but did not have any hospital documentation on him (though a lot of money to pay there), and kept talking with her on the phone while waiting. The officer asked for ”written evidence from the hospital” (said it could be faxed to the man!!!) and would not relent. The compromise reached in this Catch 22 case was that the man would bring a letter from the village doctor and this would be accepted as “evidence”. 10.15, Beit Furiq. “Castellum Beit Furiq” greets one from the road. The whole area had been cleared and organized in to concrete paths and barbed wire to narrow the vehicle path in both directions. Very few people and vehicles from Nablus to Beit Furiq and in the other direction too. 6 detainees who claim to have been there from early morning. The commander of the CP does not want to talk with us, but later claims that they will stay there until 6PM because they had been trying to circumvent the CP. No answer at all the DCO tel numbers. Called the army center (so called Humanitarian), gave them our water and took one member of the group mobile num. We kept in touch with both him and the army center, and then, on the way to TA, handed the case over to the Moked (Center for the Defense of the Individual).10.45. On the way back to TA we stopped to check whether there are any detainees in both CPs, but were immediately told by the south commander that there was a very hot alert on both sides and we have to leave the area. While debating what to do in the few minutes we have before leaving we encountered a B’Tselem van with Nagib a Rakia and another person who said they would take it over from us, and also advised to put up a printed flag rather than a sign on the car windows. 11.00, Zaatara — almost empty 11.15, Marda. Flying CP still operating. Around 10 vehicles of all kinds, the same checking procedure. We talked with the people in the buses.