Anabta, Ar Ras – Thursday 24.08.2006 AMObservers: Keren A., Dalia V., Nurit V-L. Summary: Depressive routine, difficulty of soldiers to think creatively in the interpretation of their orders. 09:20 AnabtaThose aged 16-30 are not allowed to leave. In the entry direction there are only a few vehicles. In the exit direction there are 10-15 vehicles. Two soldiers check the vehicles at a reasonable pace. Only a few pedestrians cross the checkpoint. Vehicles entering Anabta-Tulkarm slow down next to the checkpoint, but most of them are not inspected, except on a random basis. Vehicles with Israeli license plates are indiscriminately not permitted to enter – no explanations will help. 09:40 To the west of the checkpoint a vehicle is parked at the side, loaded with medical equipment sent by St. John’s hospital in Jerusalem for the establishment of a clinic in Anabta. The vehicle has a yellow (Israeli) license plate, so that it was refused entry some while before our arrival, even though on previous occasions, the soldiers had let it pass. The accompanying team includes, besides the driver, two men and two women. They have been told that they could enter but that the vehicle could not. But the purpose of their trip is the transfer of the equipment, including large instruments, which cannot be moved too much. Meanwhile the people and the equipment are exposed to the summer heat. The obvious humanitarian interest cannot possibly spoil the ‘egalitarian’ reality, the result of instructions which prohibit the entry of Israeli vehicles. For quite some time they try to contact various agents, including Dalia Bassa, without any results. When they encounter us, the team leader erupts angrily and ‘sends’ us, “women of peace”, to stand in front of the government offices, instead of at the checkpoint. Having vented his anger, he explains the problem. We first of all contact HaMoked (Center for the Defense of the Individual), without much hope, and then give the details to Tami Cohen. Tami immediately contacts the battalion commander, D., who gives the soldiers an order to let the vehicle pass. This entails convincing the checkpoint commander to let the vehicle stop in a place from which it can signal the driver that he should get back to the checkpoint when he gets the permit. The logistics are very complicated, only because no one is willing to take responsibility for the overall situation or to find solutions. After all the object of their activities is the civilian population. Had we not been there, it is obvious that the vehicle and the equipment would not have reached their destination. 10:10 The team bids us a warm and cordial farewell, covering up for the opening accord and the vehicle enters. 10:25 Jubara – the gate is open. 10:30 Ar Ras – the checkpoint is almost empty. There are a few vehicles in line coming from Tulkarm. Entry restrictions: Men and women aged 16-30 from Nablus, men aged 16-30 from Tulkarm. The time required for inspection of a bus – 5 minute. Two men are taken off and are sent back. A team of surveyors is preparing for the construction of a new road. The soldiers receive us this time politely. They and some other soldiers and an officer, who arrive in a Hummer vehicle, even tend to converse with us and listen. One of the soldiers says he does not have a clear map with the names of the villages in the vicinity, so as to orientate themselves. In our car we have some small maps of OCHA. Since there is a dialogue, I give them to him, taking the opportunity to say something about the prison camp created by the various checkpoints. In addition, we remind them of possible ‘imaginary’ ways to ease matters, such as a putting up whiteboard in a visible position, on which the daily changing restrictions could be noted. But that already seems too much. None of those present, including the officer, express any interest or willingness to transmit these ideas further. It is not in the framework of their functions (such as the matter of lighting at Anabta, the location of the checkpoint in the quarry at Beit Iba). Probably godliness is to be found in the small details. The bits and pieces of this past summer have definitely proved the point. 10:50 We leave the checkpoint