Beit Iba, Shavei ShomronSun. 27.2.05 PMObservers: Alix W., Dvora S., Aliyah S., Susan L. (reporting)Summary: Today it was so clear: a theater of the absurd withdisjointed, repetitious and meaningless dialogue, purposeless andconfusing situations – a state of affairs both surreal and illogical.In spite of the characters’ obvious interdependence, theprecariousness and fundamental arbitrariness of their lives suggestshow little they are able to control their own existence. Beit Iba15:40 Flying checkpoints are back: there’s one at the junction withthe road to Kdumim, Jerusalem, etc. As we slow down, a soldier,standing off to the side of the road, puts his sights to his eye andtrains his rifle on us. Not a good feeling! He lowers the gun, thenraises it again as the next vehicle comes close by.Once past the turn off to Shavei Shomron, the road, only last weekfilled with mud, is full of dust, bumps and potholes. No post rainrepairs here. 15:50 Beit Iba is bustling with people, buses and taxis , stands offul – boiled beans — above ground) and stands (on the ground)of citrus fruits and notions. From an open truck a herd of goatsalights, and they and their shepherd proceed to pass (freely) throughthe checkpoint on their way to Nablus. A student on his way back from the university stops us. “All nightlong,” he says, “we were disturbed by the army. What are they doing?”We shrug. What do we know! Our radio, TV and newspapers have beentelling us, that “no military action” would take place.So, what’s new otherwise at Beit Iba? The single cell lock up isbolted shut. Peeping from underneath it, green plastic piping, somewhite slats, some other stuff: it’s become a junk room – for the timebeing. Great! But the detention compound now has an electronically andremote controlled lock.15:55 Reservists are again on duty, and again the difference is great.A student comes with an oud. The soldier joshes him, “So, youwant to be famous?” (alluding to the young man with the violin who wasstopped at Beit Iba six weeks ago) as he asks the young man to unzipthe instrument. Women are not checked at all. A veiled woman is pulledaside and the military policewoman comes out of the pillbox to look ather, returns to her post without a word.A mother and her younger son on the Beit Iba side try to explain to usthat their older son and brother is still on the Nablus side of thecheckpoint. The soldiers rattle off a string of reasons as to why hemay not be allowed through: there’s a problem with certainvillages, a certain age, etc. But they’re just talking — talkingwithout knowing what they’re talking about in this instance. The militarypolicewoman again comes from the pillbox where she’s checking IDs,lets the woman’s younger son go to the other side and fetch his brother.Surprising, she seems to be in charge! 16:15 The reservists are so easygoing that they create a confusionwith the men coming through the turnstile from Nablus. They callnonchalantly, and ineffectively, for people to stay back. So many aregoing through the turnstile that the checkers at the window can’tkeep up, calling to the soldiers to do something – in vain. No change.Suddenly, the military policewoman closes her metal window, followedsuit by her fellow ID checker at the second window. The closure is notagainst the Palestinians, but against the soldiers who are creatinghavoc. Everybody bursts into loud and prolonged giggles – except the Palestinians. With their usual stoicism, they continue to sufferwhatever the occupier brings into their harried lives. They stand andwait – there is nowhere where they can go, there is nothing else thatthey can do. 16:25 Young women wait for husband or brother; as before, they can’tcome together. Many students are returning from Nablus, the women justwaved through, the young men checked: we note one student carrying a thick wad ofpapers, entitled, ironically, “Western Civilization.” Another onecomes with an oud in one hand, a bag of fresh pittot in the other. Athird puts what looks like an architectural drawing (but on his waypast us, we note that it’s a cubist style painting), above theturnstile (since nothing can go through easily); one student is sentto the detention compound, but can’t get in since it’s lockedby remote control from the pill box. Only when the one inside thecompound is released, does he enter. A young man, returning fromNablus with a hand held fire extinguisher is examined thoroughly, asis the extinguisher. The soldier doing the checking asks each one, inpidgin Arabic, where he lives, checking the name or number, or both,off a printed list. 17:00 Shavei ShomronAt Beit Iba, we’re told by a taxi driver of a checkpoint at ShaveiShomron, and we go up there along the horribly rutted road. There is a long line of cars and taxis. Three soldiers, none of themwith helmets, two with kippot, check politely, “Shalom,” butone tells us to stand back as he checks each ID in the taxi, and thesecond one tells the third (non religious soldier) not to talk to us.The flying checkpoint is still there. No chance to see if we’re againcaught in a soldier’s sights.