BEIT IBA, Saturday 1 May 2004 AM Observers: Amalya V., Roni Y., Edva and Hagit (guests) , Eric and Jack (Canadian filmmakers) and Nina M. (reporting) color=red>Summary: There were unusually tough measures in force. Even clearly humanitarian cases were only rarely permitted to go through. According to the army, there were high alerts which appear to have had something to do with tomorrow’s Likud referendum [on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to abandon the Jewish settlements in the Gaza region and make certain other concessions on the West Bank]. Traffic on Route 60 was held up by several unannounced road blocks. Jitt junction:There were two soldiers checking buses no matter from which direction they came. Five lorries and two taxis had been detained. The lorries because “I want them to be detained”, the taxis because they are not allowed to travel on Route 60 [reserved for Jewish, i.e. settler, traffic] even though one of the taxi drivers works for the army’s civil administration and had every possible permit. We called the army’s “humanitarian” hotline and an office which deals with complaints against security personnel which was very efficient and cooperative, so that all detained drivers and their cars were released.09:30-11:40 — Beit IbaA small crowd of people immediately crowded round us when we arrived. The checkpoint was hermetically closed and even very obviously sick people, with proper documents, were not allowed through. We called N. (the officer in charge) and he allowed through all medical cases with proper papers. Unfortunately there were many other people on their way to seek medical help who had no such papers and they were turned down. The presence of the battalion commander for the area did not improve situation. On the contrary. Our calls to the Physicians for Human Rights organization and to D.B., who tried hard, were without effect. Old women and women with small children could not pass and many people could not return to their Nablus homes.