BEIT IBA, Tuesday 27 July 2004 PMObservers: Racheli B., Tammy G., Nurit S., Ella H. (reporting)colour=red>A routine day at the checkpoint where there have been several physical improvements and efforts were made to let people through efficiently and fast. There were only a few pedestrians at the entrance to Nablus, but more were trying to leave. Generally there was no crowding. There were also many trucks at the entrance to Nablus, where only driver’s documents were checked. The number of vehicles leaving was small , but checks were stricter here.Physical changes: Soldiers checking pedestrians entering and exiting were in a structure with windows looking out on all directions. Only the commander was outside. Concrete barriers have been constructed on both sides to organize the waiting lines. We didn’t see any rifles held at the ready. The detainees’ waiting area is near the structure, which improves communication. Detainees were seated on benches with camouflage netting stretched above their heads for shade. But there’s no water. On the hill opposite is a new military position where the checkpoint soldiers will be housed. R. explained that in future there will be no physical contact and communication will be through megaphone.Detainees: Most of the time there were more than 10 there, detained between one and two hours [so that their ID details can be cross-checked against the General Security Services list of security suspects]. Most were students who’d arrived on the wrong day [the university week in the Palestinian Authority runs from Saturday to Wednesday , because Friday is the Moslem day of rest); the Israel army has an arrangement with An-Najah University whereby registered students producing a valid student card may enter Nablus on Saturday and leave on Wednesday without having too much trouble at the checkpoints and without needing a special permit]. One was a taxi driver who’d driven in a forbidden area to collect passengers. The soldiers sent the details off to the GSS relatively fast and released the detainees as soon as replies were received [definitely a mark in their favour—delays in this respect are all too common]. Humanitarian cases were given priority: a father with a sick child, a young man on crutches – went through fast. There were no confiscated vehicles. The soldiers were generally businesslike, apart from L., a Military Policewoman, who screamed a lot. The commander told us she’d completed her military service and would be discharged tomorrow.There were three different commanders during our shift, all cooperative. The first, A. from the District Co-ordinating Office ( DCO) [the army section that handles civilian matters] spoke fluent Arabic and tried to be efficient. H. adhered strictly to procedure and wasn’t persuaded to let through nine students who wanted to go home to Tulkarm, Jenin and Qaffin and insisted they go through tomorrow [the “permitted” day]. R., from the DCO, advised them to arrange it through the university. A mathematics professor passed by and said that every day one of her students disappeared. She said the students at An-Najah were diligent and hard-working compared to what she described as their lazy and drugged counterparts in Washington, where she’d taught in the past. The students were forced to turn back to Nablus and postpone their exit till tomorrow. When R. took over from H. he was more helpful and a student who arrived while he was there, went through. R. also released the taxi-driver.A young brother and sister were on the way to their brother’s wedding in Tulkarm. H. wouldn’t let through the brother (a student). The young man went over to the [checking] structure and the soldier let him pass. After some time the two of them (the sister in tears) returned to the checkpoint. H. had “caught” them on their way to a taxi and sent them back. The brother was detained, the sister waited in tears, and was obliged to take a ride on a van from Huwwara. R. was sympathetic and promised that her brother would be released in time for the wedding. Later we met the two of them, happy, on their way to the wedding.An elderly man asked for a special line for the elderly. R. suggested that he move to another line and he went through fast He told us that there were other old people waiting. We suggested that they move as well, but he whispered to us that they were frightened.