Beit Iba

07:20 Jit junction is empty. Some of the concrete slabs have been removed.

07:30 Beit IbaLots of cars and cabs, quite a number of lorries and of course now that school holidays are over many pedestrians too.At the vehicles checkpoint seven incoming and five outgoing cars are waiting. Checking is rapid despite the dog, the only delays being due to occasional computer verifications of a driver's particulars. A car selected for examination with the dog is diverted from the queue and does not cause delay.The CP commander asks that we stand closer to the turning to Kuzin and verifies with us that observation of the incoming vehicles is possible from that position.He inquires whether we'd heard of the assault on the soldiers that was averted on Saturday.

07:55 The pedestrian CP into Nablus is extremely crowded. The soldiers check quickly, with the CP commander and the new DCO A. lending a hand occasionally. Shouts of "Irja la warra" are heard from time to time when the queue overflows onto the red line.We bring up the issue of a separate "humanitarian queue" for women, elderly men and physicians again and learn that teachers are also authorized to use it but it is not in fact operational. CP commander G., once I point out the "corridor" that was designed for it, agrees with the principle but claims it is difficult to implement. Nonetheless when the pressure increased again he asked the DCO to open a humanitarian queue.

08:30 A taxi driver is put in the detention shed by the military police commander for coming too close to the CP. A DCO goes to him only after we call his attention.09:15 We leave Beit Iba after talking to our friend the old fig vendor and former teacher of English in the Persian Gulf who today came riding a donkey called George Bush.