Za’atara, Sarra, Huwwara, Beit Furik Sunday morning 11 April 2004Observers: Snait G., Hanna L., Dina A. (reporting) General:1. When we approached the Nablus DCO [IDF civil administration office], they directed us to the Beit-El DCO. There we were told that that they do not deal with civilians, referred us instead to the IDF “Humanitarian Center” [hotline for expediting special cases]. In our dealings with the Humanitarian Center we had to bargain and plead for each and every case. MW note: We should take action on an organizational level to remedy this, otherwise our effectiveness is severely limited 2. The territories have not yet moved the clocks forward to Daylight Savings Time.3. The weather is hot. The checkpoints in Huwwara handle masses of people without providing any water supply. We notified the responsible officers at both sides, of their obligation to ensure that they have water tanks. Note to MachsomWatchers, Huwwara shifts: watch out that this happens.07:25, Za’atara:The checkpoint is empty. A soldier tells us that a closure has been imposed on Nablus (i.e. only men over 35 and women are allowed in or out). 07:30, en route to Sarra: A rolling (unscheduled roadblock) checkpoint on the road from Huwwara to Sarra, near the Gilad Zer farm. There are three trucks waiting in line. The soldiers appear efficient and fair.07:40, Sarra:The big metal arm of the roadblock marking the entry to the village has been painted fluorescent green. (Does this signify IDF movements at night?) As compared with the disturbing silence of previous occasions, today there is some movement of people. On the line going down towards the concrete IDF emplacements there are two villagers with donkeys, one truck with sheep and calves, one tractor, one water tanker that has come down to supply water to the army post and returned to the village. All went through the checkpoint. An officer tells us that the teachers, who usually come between 08:30 – 09:00 our time (i.e. 07:30 – 08:00 their time) have not come yet. They usually return at about 12:00.08:00, the inner road towards Shavei Shomron:Again there is a rolling checkpoint, made of a pile of rocks. Judging by the reactions of the Palestinians who have had their buses, cars and trucks stopped, this is apparently unexpected . Bus passengers are asked to get off, stand in line and hand over their documents for inspection. One private car apparently didn’t stop at the road block and when asked to drive back reversed and punctured one of its tires. Afterwards, the responsible officer sent a soldier back to put up a warning sign on the road. One detainee, from one of the buses, was cleared by the Shin Bet [Israeli security service] and continued his journey on another bus that had arrived. The soldiers seemed efficient and fair.08:30, Huwwara South (for those going towards Nablus): Despite the closure, there is a long line of cabs and a relatively long line of people. There are no relaxation of the rules, nor is there any willingness by the soldiers to make exceptions for special cases, although they are operating in a relatively efficient and fair manner. Our intervention succeeds in helping a young man go through who had a physiotherapy appointment following a leg operation to go through. Similar case: a young family with a baby, including the father, who needed to get to the hospital. Three paramedics had come on foot rather than with an ambulance (we teamed them up with an ambulance). With the others whom we were trying to assist in crossing – mostly young men who wanted to accompany their wives and children – we had no success (“They come everyday with the same story,” etc. was the reply we got all the time from the soldiers). We nagged over having the detainees seen to, and they were treated reasonably enough. Women were not subject to any special harassment today.08:30, Huwwara North (for those coming from Nablus):This side of the checkpoint was heavily staffed, in comparison with the southern one. The officer in charge was angry at our presence, which he said “created a mess.” Only after witnessing our nagging and the various telephone calls that we were making did he apparently agree to cooperate. The lines were all very long: those for the older men, the young men, and the women. There were six detainees, including a doctor who was allowed through following a phone call to the Physicians for Human Rights organization. There was heavy ambulance traffic.Eight taxi drivers, whose cabs had been impounded the night before, came this morning as instructed – but were informed that they would be punished by being detained until 16:00. The taxis and their drivers were released after a phone call to the “Humanitarian Center.” 09:30, Beit Furik:The checkpoint was quite busy, especially the side exiting from the village. People were arriving by taxi along the dirt roads in the wide valley and then trudging their way on foot up towards the check point. Seven trucks were held in a stationary line. Soldiers say that until Tuesday, passage will be permitted only to trucks carrying food and medicine. Seven detainees were checked by the Shin Bet [Israel security service] and allowed through, but then were held as collective punishment because of three men who had tried to evade the checkpoint by going through the fields. Most of them were out to seek a day’s work, including one young man who was taken off the truck transporting his tomatoes to market. The truck and driver were allowed through, but the young man wasn’t and thus lost his livelihood for the day. The soldier on duty claimed that they can be “held” for up to four hours. We told him we had understood it was limited to three. The soldier on the phone at the IDF “Humanitarian Center” who appears to take down details diligently, says “I think it’s three,” and promises, “I’ll look after it.”We stayed on site and the detainees were moved to a small concrete structure which provided a narrow strip of shade, and were given a jerrycan of water. We took a phone number from one of them and (how not surprising; as if with Swiss precision) after exactly three hours, they were allowed to move. There is no shade at Beit Furik; we feel it is essential that this be taken care of.10:45, Za’atara:A long line of 29 trucks, and only two soldiers at the checkpoint. We spoke with the Samaria battalion commander’s headquarters and were told that it is not possible to send more people because the soldiers are going home on leave for the holidays!