Azzun, Ar-Ras, Anabta, Thursday, 14/12/2006, p.m. Observers: Smadar H., Hagar L. (reporting)Translation: Galia S. Passage and movement restrictions: There were no passage restrictions on particular groups of residents.- The passage northward on road 60 is still blocked for traffic at Shave Shomron. Entering the village of Jubara is still allowed only with permits. – The earth banks along road 57 between Deir Sharaf and Anabta haven’t been removed, neither have the piles of earth and rocks at the exit from the villages close to road 557: Safrin, Shufa (the western way down to road 557). Details14:45 – 15:00 – On the way down to road Azzun – Tulkarm, we stop to put the sign/flag of Machsomwatch and we see a truck going up the road headed with some big olive trees. We ask a youth whether he knows where they are taking the olive trees and he tells us that people who get into a difficult economic situation sell these trees to Israelis for a lot of money (about IS 5,000.00 a tree). Later he tells us that the army has confiscated a large piece of land from his family in order to put up a fence in the Karnei Shomron region. We have suggested that he organize all the people whose lands have been taken away for the purpose of erecting the fence and together, via the mayor, turn to The Association of Civil Rights in Israel. We have established contact for him with an investigator of B’Tselem [The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories] in the Tulkarm region and he, too, has said that all the requests have to be submitted together to the mayor. We hope that he will continue updating us. 15:10 – At the entrance to Jayyus, a youth stops us and says that he had passage permit for the seam-line zone for two years. The permit expired and he went to the DCO [District Coordination Office of the IDF Civil Administration that handles passage permits] but they didn’t renew his permit. We will try to assist him with Miki’s help. Ar-Ras checkpoint15:45 – A truck carrying supplies (flour, oil, sugar and chickpeas), donated by an organization in Saudi Arabia that helps Palestinians, that was on its way to Kafr Sur has been standing at the checkpoint for hours. The checkpoint commander does not give it permission to pass unless the driver unloads all the bags from the truck and then loads it again because “this is not a merchandise passage”. All the bags and boxes bear the stamp of the United Nations Humanitarian Organization, but the commander refuses to let it pass. We call the battalion commander and the company commander arrives. We try to convince him to allow the truck to pass. “Why haven’t they coordinated it with them? UNRRA knows that it has to be coordinated. Had they come with an UNRRA truck, there would be no problem at all. The soldiers at the checkpoint have no authority.” I explain to the company commander that my only complain about the checkpoint commander is that for three hours he hasn’t called his chief to try and solve the problem and enable the truck to go on. Another series of phone calls includes one that the Palestinians make to the person in charge of the store where the merchandise was loaded, but he refuses to get to the checkpoint and help release the truck. Finally, after the truck driver is checked on the computer and his truck (which on regular days transfers merchandise from Irtah to the occupied territories) is inspected, and after they find at the command someone to take responsibility for the flour, oil, sugar and chickpeas, the truck continues the travel to Kafr Sur, which is less than 3 kilometer away from the checkpoint. Anabta checkpoint16:30 – There are almost no cars in line. The inspections are quick and there are no entering or leaving restrictions. Because of the late hour, we do not stay and we go on to Beit Iba.