Summary:  The checkpoint is operating perfectly.  Efficient, organized.  The commander, though of course not satisfied with where we are standing, operates the checkpoint to the credit of the State of Israel.  The DCO representative also contributes to the efficiency.  Everyone can feel satisfied.  The perfect formula for managing an enlightened occupation and suppression. Shvut Ami – From the road one cannot see anybody near the house at this hour of the morning. On the other side of the street, among the trees, the young settlers are sleeping under two tents (before now, there was only one). Between Kedumim and the crossroad of Jenida, there is an apparently broken van belonging to settlers.  It is standing by the side of the road along with a few girls.

 J'it Junction – empty.  

Beit Iba 7:25 – 9:10 A lot of students pass through today.  When a bus arrives, and all the young people are taken off, a line of about 30-50 people forms at the pedestrian checkpoint.  Women generally pass without any inspection.  Sometimes they open a line on the outside for them (the one which is usually closed by a wire fence).  However, most of the time, when women arrive, the men make way for them on the only existing line, and they pass through without any inspection;  meanwhile, there is no inspection for the men, so the line gets longer.  Then another soldier shows up, or sometimes a representative from the DCO, to speed things up.  Generally, the passage is quick. From Nablus there are very few people coming at this hour.  They pass through the magnometer, which does not beep today, with their belts in their hands.  08:00 One detainee in the shed, and another one immediately after him.  Their ID numbers are found on the list of "wanted men" of the GSS.  One of them, accompanied by his older brother, is familiar to us from two weeks ago, when he was detained for 3-4 hours and finally released.  The brother asks for our help.  The DCO rep says that he knows about the problem and there is nothing to do about it.  We called Hannah B. and she submitted a complaint to the unit.  They were both released in half an hour. During our whole shift, the checkpoint commander was busy with us.  He decided that we should stand outside the external barrier of the shed and, every time that we moved from there he came over and requested that we return to the place he had indicated.  When we asked in what way we were interfering, the answer was always "you are bothering me because I need to scream at you all the time."  

08:50 A taxi with a lot of suitcases on its roof is sent to the side.  The people take down 6 large suitcases from the roof, put them on the sidewalk, open them, and wait until the soldiers come over to inspect them.  The clothes are spread around.  We assume they were travelling, at least, to Jordan, but actually they were only going to Bidiah.  How can they dare to take so many suitcases to Bidiah?? A man of about 50 exits Nablus with his son, about 17.  As soon as they leave, the father returns to Nablus.  And then I understand that there are boys who are afraid to go through the checkpoint alone.  Also the detainee we mentioned above came through twice with his older brother;  anyway, he was detained the last time for several hours.  Then his older sisters also were ready to come to the checkpoint. 

A taxi driver who has an entry permit to Nablus, limited to certain hours (until 19:00, though the checkpoint is open until 22:00), asks for our help.  We turned to Gil, the officer in charge of complaints at the civil administration, and he promised to investigate.