Beit Iba, Monday, 17.7.06 AMObservers: Annalin K, Ruthi K, Micky F (reporting)General: the field DCO doesn’t function, and not only because of the attitude of Nablus Brigade! At Beit Iba, a taxi with a permit to circulate is not passed through because of the decision of the local commander, at his own initiative. The Army Centre checks and brigade shakes off any responsibility for the decision, and approves the passage of the taxi driver. Attention should be paid to the phenomenon in Beit Iba – and care taken that it does not happen again.07:15 Fruit Junction (Qalqiliya Gate) – a line of 70 workers entering Israel to work. They are passing through the magnetic gate. We do not discern any delays.07:25 Izbet Tabib – people come by taxi or private cars to the taxi square that is blocked by earthworks. They cross on foot and take taxis in the direction of Qalqiliya and Nablus. The army’s declared reason: punishment for children who throw stones (and why do they throw stones – has the commander ever asked himself that? Because there is Occupation.).07:30 Azun – the exit from the village to the Qalqiliya-Nablus road is still closed by concrete blocks.07:45 rolling checkpoint near Jinsafut (junction of Route 50/66/55 in the direction of Route 5) – three soldiers in a Hummer are checking vehicles travelling in the direction of Haras – and voicing the usual mantra: “security warning and therefore a full inspection!” No age restriction on people passing through.The soldiers are not equipped with a computer, and the soldier seated in the Hummer reads the ID numbers into his radio.A bus coming from Tulkarm has already stood half an hour. The passengers, men and women, are members of an organization that is going for a tour of Ramallah. According to them, they left Tulkarm at 06:30, went through a 45 minute check at A-Ras. The bus is released, after checking all documents, at 08:00.According to the soldiers, another checkpoint awaits them near Haras. Afterwards at Zaatra, and who knows where else on the way… The journey will take three hours till they reach Ramallah.A taxi with eight passengers coming from the direction of Jenin, has already been waiting quarter of an hour. Document inspection is another 20 minutes. They will also have more checkpoints on the way, and their trip from Jenin to Ramallah will take 2-3 hours.Another bus and two tow trucks are in line. The bus turns around, apparently to find an alternative route that will reduce the travel time (we decide to check up on Haras checkpoint on the way back).08:20 Jit Junction – four soldiers, two of them checking, one in the emplacement and one on a Hummer. They are checking vehicles travelling westward. The soldiers refuse to tell us the restrictions (“military secret!”) but do say that their comrade was killed in the Nablus operation, and that’s why everyone must be inspected…In a check with he Centre, it becomes clear that Nablus residents aged 16-35 are forbidden to exit the city. All others go through a full check.Fourteen vehicles in line. The inspection is very slow. The last vehicle to arrive passes after 50 minutes.We ask the Centre to be sure to send a DCO representative to speed up the line. The DCO does not arrive while we are there, even though the Centre reports that they passed the request on and a representative will come through the place.08:35 – a taxi on the way to Qalqiliya – is detained on the side for a thorough inspection. The reason: an 18 year old woman from Nablus with a three month old baby. The others get their Ids back after quarter of an hour. We phone the Centre, which promises to clarify and get back to us. After 10 minutes the girl’s ID is given back and the taxi moves on to the next checkpoint!10:50 – we leave in the direction of Beit Iba. There are 21 vehicles in line. We leave our phone number with the driver of the last truck in line to call us if there is trouble. The DCO – perhaps there is no such creature – didn’t come.11:00 Beit Iba – some 50 people in the pedestrian line. Moving at a reasonable pace. Age restrictions as at Jit.In the compound two detainees – one of them on his way to hospital for tests, according to the checkpoint commander he is a security detainee. They apparently get the “full works” inspection. His wife is waiting on the side. He asks us to pass her his phone and she passes back his medical documentation. We stayed in contact with her after leaving the checkpoint. They were only released at 13:00.The second detainee, according to the soldiers, cursed one of them. They say they will hold him for a short while. When we phone him at 12:00, he says he is already released and has reached the university in Nablus.Vehicles: not many coming out or going in to Nablus. Here as well the transit is usually without unnecessary delays. An owner of a commercial vehicle is sent back to Nablus: according to the soldier, he does not have an exit permit. We do not manage to talk to the Palestinian.11:15 – at the kiosk we are approached by a driver from Tamun in Jenin district. He has a general movement permit for all the internal Judea and Samaria checkpoints. He goes into Nablus every day. According to him, the soldiers have been refusing to pass him and the other taxis since Friday. We call the Centre. Amit promises to check and get back to us.We notice the white DCO jeep standing on the side. We told A. from the DCO about the pressure of vehicles at Jit, and he responded: “At 07:20 everything was okay.” “But there’s pressure now, and each vehicle has to wait 40 minutes.” To this he answers: “I am responsible for Beit Iba (in my opinion, he did not bother to report the pressure that we told him about).We also talked to him about the taxi. He said it cannot be, and promised to talk to the soldiers on the checkpoint. Though his job description includes talking with Palestinians and asking them directly about problems, he did not bother to get out of his jeep to talk with the taxi driver about his problem.After half an hour we again call to A., who says that he still does not have an answer about the taxi, but he will get back to us as soon as he does. We took the phone number of the driver in order to pass on to him the army’s answer. It needs to be noted that the Army Centre, despite its many limitations and the lack of jurisdiction, tries very hard and does not give up.A. gets back to me at 15:00 to say that the order not to pass the taxi is unknown to brigade, and is apparently a local initiative. The battalion must pass the driver. The driver’s phone was not obtainable, and we could not tell him that he may pass. I only caught him at home in the evening. I reported the Centre’s answer, and he said he would try again tomorrow. He told me that he approached A from the DCO to complain, but A’s answer was that he regrets they cannot pass today…Does the DCO in the field actually function? Does he fulfill his role – this needs to be clarified and complained about time and again, because their passive behaviour in places where they are supposed to check and act – repeats many times.The saga of the driver did not end: the following day he tried to pass around 10:00, and again was forbidden. He spoke to Elinor, who had been informed about the previous day and reported it to the Centre. Later the driver called me, and I again called the Army Centre which dealt with it quickly, within the hour they reported back that brigade had reconfirmed that the driver could pass. The problem was solved, but it needs to be said that it was solely due to the people at the Army Centre. The DCO representatives in the field do not function – and complaints need to continue to be submitted. It is not always because the army won’t let them function – as certainly wasn’t the case this time!11:45 – we returned. At the junction of Route 55/50/66, we turned in the direction of Route 5. The checkpoints at Jinsafut and Haras had gone – the harassment had moved elsewhere…