Beit Iba, Sun 21.12.08, Afternoon
Beit Iba,
13:50 No crowding, no pushing, no shouting. Everything was going along at a very orderly pace. There was a steady but thin stream of people coming out of Nablus, mainly students, but also families. The young men removed their belts but their shoes remained on them, for the most part. There were a few taxis going into or out of the city, not many. In the far vehicular lane we could see a woman dog-soldier, but we didn't notice that she was particularly busy. She seemed to be training the dog.
It was perhaps too early for workers coming home. There were just a few people going into the city. This report is so short perhaps I can add an anecdote. At the beginning of the sidewalk that leads to the checkpoint 2 men were sitting by a small heated barrel on top of which was a large pan with roasted peanuts, nuts and almonds for sale. As Ruthie and I passed we nodded shalom to them. One motioned to me to come to him and he began to hail me. " It's so good to see an old woman (z'kaina) who comes here to the checkpoint. We're happy to see you, old woman! We're always happy to see you, old woman!" I sincerely believe, from the tone of his voice and the smile that he meant it as a compliment. And I accepted it as such.__._,_.___
Beit Iba
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A perimeter checkpoint west of the city of Nablus. Operated from 2001 to 2009 as one of the four permanent checkpoints closing on Nablus: Beit Furik and Awarta to the east and Hawara to the south. A pedestrian-only checkpoint, where MachsomWatch volunteers were present daily for several hours in the morning and afternoon to document the thousands of Palestinians waiting for hours in long queues with no shelter in the heat or rain, to leave the district city for anywhere else in the West Bank. From March 2009, as part of the easing of the Palestinian movement in the West Bank, it was abolished, without a trace, and without any adverse change in the security situation.
Jun-4-2014Beit-Iba checkpoint 22.04.04
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