Beit Iba, Sunday, 18.9.05, PMObservers: Galit G., Naomi L., Susan L.(reporting)Summary: “The Unbearable Heaviness of Being” (in the Occupied Territories) is the phrase and the permutation on Kundera’s work that comes to mind today. Palestinians struggle to go about and cope with their daily lives midst the intruding demands of the occupying forces, while they, in turn, trifle with those who pass through the checkpoints, doing little to give respect or meaning to what they’re about day in day out. 14:40 From Qalqiliya until our return, four hours later, through Jubara, not a rolling checkpoint anywhere. Beit Iba15:15- 18:15Only one of the three turnstiles is working (same as last week, and after repeated calls to those who surely could bring about repairs in no time). In fact, the spokesperson of the Samarian command expressed surprise, when called from the checkpoint that nothing had been done during the past few days! One turnstile, we pointed out to the soldiers, could be turned manually, but, no, that’s not what this army allows! It and the other turnstile have traffic “blocks” put across them, as if to demarcate their lack of usage. The humanitarian line, we’re told, is also a problem, since it must be kept for urgent cases! Whatever is sensible and rational and humane cannot be tolerated. Several of the commanders during the shift today seemed not only unaware but completely uncaring about the fact that a mixed group of men, women, young and old, students and small children or infants in arms all had to go through the same turnstile, standing close together in the same line – something that’s just not permitted in orthodox Islam (but which tradition would certainly be understood were there orthodox Jews involved). As for the DCO representative, more and more he, or his fellow comrades, do less and less with more mouthing of the platitudes that one can expect from a spokesperson, but not from the DCO. We try,” he tells us lamely (vis a vis the recalcitrant turnstiles). Vehicle traffic is sparse during out first hours at Beit Iba. Two or three in either direction, and sometimes none at all from Deir Sharaf. There are usually two soldiers checking vehicles in each direction — at some times three. The checking is thorough, methodical, buses going through with every ID and, more often than not, every briefcase opened. There are plenty of ambulances, including one which passes the checkpoint a number of times: easy to remember: “assistance of the Turkish people and government to Palestine.” And it’s easy to observe that ambulances wait in line to be checked in the same way as buses, cars and trucks, and that they’re checked thoroughly – each cupboard, glove compartment, nothing left to the imagination. Only the donkey carts, laden with goods, ply their way, from one side of the checkpoint to the other — swiftly and often. Hostile hand signals – a flick of the wrist, one, or two, or more fingers pointing, twisting, turning – all are a personification of the occupying troops. Even when words are not used, hand signals never fail: stop here, not there, get out, turn off the engine, open the door, empty this, not that, etc. etc. The soldiers, who seem well practiced in this awful art, are the automatons of the occupation. 15:40 The white DCO jeep arrives to bring respite to the DCO representative (who’s supposed to stay until 4:00).16:00 The commander of the checkpoint leaves the central area and goes off, obviously on a private phone call which lasts a good 15 minutes. Until now, he’s graced his soldierly profession by being very busy in telling us (but without hand signals), that we can’t stand where we usually do, and that we can observe from afar. 16:20 A young Spaniard, backpack in place, arrives with his Palestinian friend. But he can’t go through into Nablus, he’s told. To us, he later tells that he’s already tried Huwarra, which is usually more lenient with holders of foreign passports, even getting help from some of our MachsomWatch colleagues. He wonders if he’d be shot should he try to walk through (holder of a foreign passport). His Palestinian friend suggests he doesn’t try! But we imagine the tales that will be told once he gets back home….17:15 A pleasantly spoken second lieutenant arrives, engages in pleasantries and asks, over and over, if there were problems today, or if everything is all right. One can’t help noticing that he never listens, that he interrupts each time one of us is talking. So, his departing call, “Good bye, girls,” is hardly surprising and puts us in the same category as our Palestinian sisters, who are always addressed as, “girls.” Daily life continues all around us: trucks bearing newly harvested grapes, a pick up with eggs as well as hens, and a gaily decorated wedding car bearing a family to a wedding in Nablus: the onlyproblem: they can enter Nablus, but without their car! Nothing doing with the unmoved, black eye shaded commander at this time. Nothing gives, nothing moves, and the unbearable heaviness of life in the Occupied Territories continues.