Beit Iba, Wednesday, 17.05.06, PMObservers: Sarah P., Alona C., Rayah Y. (reporting) 14:30. Arrival. The pedestrian checkpoint is empty. When we ask why, we are told that some of those who used to pass through this checkpoint in the past now go through the checkpoint at Al-Badhan, so the numbers at Beit Iba have decreased. As soon as we arrive, we notice a new phenomenon not encountered in the past: a kind of thirst and curiosity on the part of the soldiers to hear about us. They seem to be surprised that we are a voluntary organization. When we stop talking with them, in order to see what is happening in various areas of the checkpoint, they return to us and want to talk. On our side, we are interested in hearing from them as well. They say that they are new here. We compliment their polite behavior and ask if this is a response to new instructions before they came to the checkpoint; they answer positively. At the same time, we are told in the same breath that “at Al-Badhan, the soldiers behave very badly toward the Palestinians, not like here.” We wonder if Al-Badhan was erected, among other reasons, in Area A, far from sight (even ours), where there is no supervision over the behavior and actions of the soldiers and anything is possible. Is the preliminary instruction different at checkpoints where the public eye cannot see? Unanswerable questions. The turnstiles are not working. A soldier brings those leaving Nablus in the humanitarian line. He shouts at them. Those standing in line get into orderly rows to satisfy him. When all go through, he comes over to us to talk. I ask him if, in the preparatory class for the checkpoint, they taught him to shout in Arabic. He answers positively. And did they teach him the word for “please”? “No.” I tell him that, if he had used the word “please” at first, the whole order would have sounded different. He asks us if any of us know Arabic. Alona answers that she knows a little. He asks her how to say “please”. Alona answers, “Min fadlak”. And how do you say, “I am sorry”. Alona answers. He asks her to write it down in Hebrew letters, along with a few other phrases. There were two other cases where soldiers spoke to us in a personal way… Their comments were moving, but also surprising, in that they sought someone to listen to them among MachsonWatch women at all. Perhaps this will continue…16:30 – We left the checkpoint.