Beit Iba
Beit Iba, Saturday, 24.6.06 AMObservers: Michal P, Nadim, Adina A (reporting) 09:30 vehicle and pedestrian traffic flowing. No detainees, and when there are, it=s only for minutes.The young Palestinian boy who in the past cleaned the checkpoint (he was still working at it last year), is unemployed and wants to transit the checkpoint with a donkey and cart. The checkpoint commander, a staff sergeant who makes an empathetic impression, explains to him that it isn=t possible. The youngster is bitter and tells the sergeant that if the Acaptain@ only wanted, he could let him pass.In conversation with the commander I understand that there are no clear orders, and that when he can he does let carts through, but today there is heavy pressure of people and he does not have enough manpower to carry out inspections. He explains to me that, despite his good will and understanding of the boy=s urgent need to make a living, he must inspect the content of the cart because there has been smuggling of ammunition, etc.The soldiers are making an effort and the checkpoint commander admits that there are a great many tragic stories. According to him he is limited because he does not have sufficient men. He says that the elderly peddlers are let through since it isn=t possible to deny them the livelihood they had before the intifada.The soldiers seemed to us to be exhausted.At the end of the shift, the young Palestinian who saw that we had tried to help him unsuccessfully, announced to us that he would make a scene at the checkpoint if he isn=t allowed through, because he has to bring money. There are ten souls in his family, and their livelihood is dependent on him. On the way home, we passed by Jit B no sign of any soldiers.The entrance to Azoun is still blocked by huge concrete forms.
Beit Iba
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A perimeter checkpoint west of the city of Nablus. Operated from 2001 to 2009 as one of the four permanent checkpoints closing on Nablus: Beit Furik and Awarta to the east and Hawara to the south. A pedestrian-only checkpoint, where MachsomWatch volunteers were present daily for several hours in the morning and afternoon to document the thousands of Palestinians waiting for hours in long queues with no shelter in the heat or rain, to leave the district city for anywhere else in the West Bank. From March 2009, as part of the easing of the Palestinian movement in the West Bank, it was abolished, without a trace, and without any adverse change in the security situation.
Jun-4-2014Beit-Iba checkpoint 22.04.04
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