The word widening the road east after the Eliyahu checkpoint proceeds at full speed.

We delivered parcels to our friend Z., in ‘Azzun, who is still not working. The specialist wasn’t at the hospital on his last visit to Hadassah and he returned home disappointed and suffering. His children can’t find work; the entire family makes a living only from the shop. On our last visit, A. reported that ‘Azzun isn’t quiet. Young men enter the town, cause disorder and steal. Today he told us it’s quiet again.

We returned via Nabi Elyas, which has changed dramatically since the bypass road was built. Very few shoppers in the stores. A long line of cars at the Eliyahu checkpoint. We’ve never seen so many vehicles waiting to enter Israel. Perhaps each car and driver is being inspected. To the left the cars from Qalqiliya await their owners.

The word widening the road east after the Eliyahu checkpoint proceeds at full speed.We delivered parcels to our friend Z., in ‘Azzun, who is still not working. The specialist wasn’t at the hospital on his last visit to Hadassah and he returned home disappointed and suffering. His children can’t find work; the entire family makes a living only from the shop. On our last visit, A. reported that ‘Azzun isn’t quiet. Young men enter the town, cause disorder and steal. Today he told us it’s quiet again.

We returned via Nabi Elyas, which has changed dramatically since the bypass road was built. Very few shoppers in the stores. A long line of cars at the Eliyahu checkpoint. We’ve never seen so many vehicles waiting to enter Israel. Perhaps each car and driver is being inspected. To the left the cars from Qalqiliya await their owners.

, which has changed dramatically since the bypass road was built. Very few shoppers in the stores. A long line of cars at the Eliyahu checkpoint. We’ve never seen so many vehicles waiting to enter Israel. Perhaps each car and driver is being inspected. To the left the cars from Qalqilya await their owners.

We visited the plant nurseries to shop and talk. O. is angry about everything that’s happening in the area. The former soldiers have been relieved and the new MP’s address the Palestinians rudely, harass them, “bark” at them and confiscate permits for no reason. He reported them to the DCO.

The soldiers arrive late to the Habla checkpoint and open the gate at 1:45. We were happy the female MP’s didn’t show up.

Ten trucks and three cars exited.

Four vehicles entered.

We met a Palestinian from Bidiya when we arrived. He’s a merchant with an entry permit to Israel via Eyal checkpoint. He told us that more than half a year ago the soldiers arrived, asked for his documents, confiscated his permit and left for a different checkpoint. They claimed he hadn’t entered that morning through Eyal.

We talked with the soldiers. Tried to make sense of it. Why is this person being punished? Why harass him? The response: we doing our job. Those are the orders we receive from our commanders.

The man isn’t a criminal, you know that you’ll eventually return his permit, why not do so immediately, now, and release him? We were successful, and the man hurried on his way.

When all the vehicles had gone through by 2:05 the gates closed and the soldiers drove off. Two women ran through the gap in the fence and two Palestinians carried cabinets through the large gap to the right and loaded them into the white van. We burst out laughing. What’s the point of all these checkpoints and hundreds of soldiers staffing them?