Anabta, Jubara: Tour with Australians, Saturday 20.01.07 AM Reporting: Susan L. Irtah 9:55 — a drive around the back to back area and the sullen looking terminal building, both eerily empty, both soundly asleep on this Sabbath morn. Jubara10:00 — Jubara checkpoint, already clad in all its future glory, sports soldiers sitting at the enclosed checking booths but with nothing to do. The commander, however, is outside and more or less welcomes the arrival of the Australian tour with its mini bus, wishing us “good health” (translating more into “godspeed in English). Since Abu Ghatem is outside with one of his elderly friends, we take the opportunity to say hello, and since many of the group speak Arabic, for once, a real conversation ensues. Meanwhile, the women in the group go towards the women of the household in the courtyard above, and, here, too, exchange is made pleasurable by the couple of Arabic women speakers, one of whose mothers was born in Shufa up the road. At one point, the leader of the group, B., an engineer, wanders into the house, trying to fix the electric generator which has not functioned for over a week. It’s an irony that, later, at Ar-Ras, B. points out the army’s working generator there that could provide enough electricity for four houses! 10:50 Gate 753The tour bus and its riders provide a moment of interest for the soldiers who are willing to talk and answer questions (and visit Australia). We’re delayed a few minutes as a phone call is made and the soldiers wonder why on earth anybody would want to cross the separation barrier and visit Ar-Ras beyond. A-Ras — hardly any traffic, but the visitors point out that as soon as MachsomWatch is noticed, passing vehicles begin to go through without checks. 11:15-12:00 AnabtaThere are numerous cars, with Israeli license plates, parked at the entrance to the checkpoint area. The line of cars, also mainly, but not entirely Israeli, is also long. But this quickly shortens as we approach the military lookout tower and the checking soldiers. Here, the welcome is less happy. Complaints are registered about taking of photos. The commander insists on seeing a camera, saying he wants no photos of soldiers; he insists, too, that we talk only to him, but other soldiers complain about photo taking, and so it goes. And the checking of vehicles trying to pass is, naturally, slowed.The commander tells that, today, Palestinian Israelis are not allowed into the city with their cars, why is not clear, and certainly says little about easing of restrictions. The tour bus has meanwhile got into the long line of vehicles waiting to cross into Tulkarm, the destination of the visitors. They pile into the bus, but as they do so, we spy a newly arrived Hummer, which has, clearly, been called to the rescue! Long discussions about permits ensue, phone calls are exchanged, and the delay, much ado about nothing, seems endless although with more goodwill than the soldiers stationed at the checkpoint. Twenty five minutes later, the tour bus is “released,” and is seen stopping beyond the checkpoint area for its escort into Tulkarm. Many, many hours later, after dark, I hear from B. that the bus cannot enter Israel via Jubara, as one of the tour leaders, not one of the visitors, is from Bethlehem and is told he can only enter Israel via Irtah (which the Australians earlier in the day had seen closed for the Sabbath). The army will not budge, and the visitors won’t leave him, so a stand off ensues — half an hour or more, and eventually the bus, with disgusted tourists, makes its way back to Jerusalem via a circuitous route. Welcome to the Holy Land which shows its true face to visitors who will, of course, report back home exactly what they’ve seen and experienced.