Beit Iba, 14.3.2006 , Tuesday PMObservers: Horit H.P. Fatchia I. Racheli B. A. Hana K.Natanya translating. We arrived at Beit Iba after finding the checkpoint at Jubara empty of Palestinians and the checkpoint at Anabta empty of soldiers. On entering the checkpoint at Beit Iba an elderly Palestinian stopped us to complain that each day he had to pass a tiring and long distance which was possible to do by car in 10 minutes. The situation seemed more fitting to that of the beginning of the last century of “hardship-attacks-checkpoints…hardships-attacks-checkpoints” and so it goes round and round. At Beit Iba we met four young detainees who had passed the queue and had therefore been “sent down” and not detained because after all there is no such punishment. They said they had been there an hour and a half and the commander said that they had been there 15 minutes. They were freed a few minutes later when the answer arrived from the secret service. There were two paradoxical changes at the checkpoint. The women, and men over 35 pass through the humanitarian line and not through the turnstile and the women are hardly checked. The young men have to show their hips either by raising their shirts or lowering their pants according to the spirit of the army. Between the narrow passage of the cement barriers are bags of cement which have fallen on the ground and make the passing through more difficult. One of us tries to put them aside but the soldier objects. The soldier cannot do so without an order from the commander who has just left. We say we will do without his help and he then says “I am responsible and will not allow this.” In the meantime a Palestinian tries to get over this with a baby cart and does not succeed. The commander arrives and removes the bags. According to the soldier who caught the boy with the device on Sunday, the affair started at 6.30 – 7.00 and ended at 10.00 at night.