BEIT IBA, Wednesday 9 June 2004 PMObservers: Dafna S., Irit S. (reporting) colour=red>13:40 — En route, we saw an unannounced roadblock at the entrance to the [Jewish Israeli settlers’] Gilad Farm, where there was a line of 15 cars; the soldiers were checking and letting the vehicles through without holding any detainees.14:00 —Towards Far’ata there was another unannounced roadblock where three cars were waiting; again, there were no detainees.14:10 — Alongside [the Jewish Israeli settlement ] Shavei Shomron there were about 15 trucks waiting, in both directions. Ther soldiers were checking one vehicle at a time and so the wait was considerable 14:30 — At Beit Iba, there is massive building work in progress at the checkpoint. There were about 250 people waiting to enter from Nablus. Our presence may have encouraged them to try and come closer, so the soldiers immediately halted passage through the checkpoint, closed the window, and the work of the checkpoint stopped . We moved away. The soldiers, shouting, persuaded all the Palestinians to move back and then arranged them in three lines instead of two and let them through “two by two” or “girls” etc.15:15 — There had been detainees sitting there since we arrived – several of them had been there for four hours. There was a waiting line of about 30 cars from Nablus. We intervened with the soldier in charge and waited for the [security] check [carried out by phone on the basis of ID card details sent to the General Security Services — also known by the Hebrew acronym of Shabak or Shin Bet — which maintains the list of security suspects; the check can take four hours and sometimes more] and the returning of the ID documents to the detainees.15:45 — The line of pedestrians entering from Nablus had shrunk to 50 and they all went through after a rapid check. We succeeded in expediting the release of a couple with a baby and a man with an 8-year-old child. The soldier in charge, A., was working by the book, but did exercise discretion and was ready to listen.There was no water in the tank [a problem we have raised frequently in this and other checkpoints].16:40 — A car with a diplomatic licence plate arrived from the Qusin direction, carrying employees of the American consulate in Jerusalem. The soldier was annoyed because the driver had eased in front of a tractor, so he started teaching him a lesson (“he’s cheeky”) — forcing him to back up and then letting through a car that had arrived after him. We intervened and pointed out the sensitivity of the situation and the soldier in charge grasped the problem, sent the “educator” away, and allowed the car through (at 17:05).All detainees except for two were released.17:50: The checkpoint commander (2nd Lt.M.) arrived. A young man from Taibeh (in Israel) whose father had died in Nablus asked to go through urgently, and, after a speedy check, he was allowed to do so with the guarantee that he’d be allowed back to Taibeh in a week’s time.18:43 — With the release of all the detainees, we left.