Summary
Despite what’s going on at the international level, and the likely creation of a Palestinian state in the near future, Israel’s security-first narrative has been so persuasive on the world stage, particularly in European and American policy, that those of us who continue to monitor what goes on in the OPT, are more than a little concerned. What we see are the actions on the ground which point to no legal or administrative sovereignty at all and, instead, little more than continued occupation and/or colonization.  

11:15 Route 5 to Zaa’tra
The road appears just as it should to the unknowing (the majority of our fellow citizens): a  highway, the Trans Samaria that is still, nearly two decades after its creation, a marvelous piece of engineering – over Palestinian lands.

The Zaa’tra junction is busy, but vehicles are not often held up by the police and the army, both of whom see fit to man this checkpoint.

Huwwara
The former checkpoint basks in the summery sunshine midst tall grasses, and only one of the two military lookout towers is manned. None of the military positions at ground level are manned, and one seems to be falling over…

Deir Sharaf
As usual, all is not as it seems, since further on, we learn that checkpoints were lately taken down, but that at 7:00 am each morning vehicles are stopped on Route 60 at the foot of the old road leading up to the colony of Shavei Shomron.

A huge 14 wheel trailer truck., blows one tire very, very noisily, and everyone looks and sounds extremely worried until it’s clear what occurred.

Of further interest in the area around Qedumim, the huge amount of building going on at this already vast colony. Rocks have been gouged out of the hillside and a number of flat roofed buildings (what? no red tiled roofs?) are in the process of being built south of Route 60.

At the junction of Route 60 and 55, a blue police car, manned by Border Police, has stopped two young men in a car with Israeli license plates – yellow). Another surprise, a Hummer, not an army Hummer but instead painted the colors of the Israeli blue police, complete with wire mesh windows, etc.

13:20-13:50 Habla
As usual, the now familiar complement of five soldiers mans the gates, meaning each time a vehicle — donkey or pony cart, bicycle, tractor, car or truck — wants to pass, the four gates, two on each side require four soldiers, two on each side to open and close them. A ridiculous effort. The pedestrian lane has to be used by those on foot.

Alongside the ever more elaborate checkpoint, a stop sign of the variety seen at every crossroads, has been thrown into the ditch; next to it, bales of cast off razor wire, replaced by new razor wire (and one has to assume, another contractor making a fast buck off the Occupation).

Other than that, the passage across the Separation Barrier is as ever. One of the usuals has to tie his pony cart to the Zim container as he goes over to have his ID checked. A woman brings her large load of grasses (not melokia – mallow), which was refused passage by one of the soldiers at this agricultural gate just a few days ago), props it against one of the posts, and goes to have her ID checked in the concrete booth. A tractor waits on the far side. The second school bus of the Bedouin kids (we’ve missed the first one earlier in the hour) also waits on the far side. The soldiers spend their time talking, to each other, drinking, smoking or shooting the breeze. And the Palestinians wait and wait.