Hamra, Tayasir, Monday, 14.5.07 amObservers: Daphna B, Zacharia, Yaakov M, Chana A (reporting)General: seems to me that the army is indeed acting to prevent MachsomWatch from observing what happens at the checkpoints.On the way to the Rift Valley:10:30 – Jit Checkpoint not manned in any direction.10:40 – Burin/Yizhar Checkpoint and the one between Huwarra village and Huwarra Checkpoint also not manned.The camouflage net and Israeli flag are still over the house used for the “Grass Widow” procedure at Huwarra.10:47 – Zaatra: no vehicles from the direction of Nablus!!! Seems as though there are no soldiers in the emplacements. Has it ceased to be a permanent checkpoint? Of course not! The soldiers are there and the x-ray installation is working in the parking lot. A bus also stands in the lot, and its passengers are carrying their belongings to the x-ray.11:02 – checkpoint at Maale Ephraim junction. One truck which promptly drives on. Graffiti on one of the concrete barriers: “Freedom, Power and Victory.”11:20 Hamra Checkpoint – The checkpoint: a concrete “railing” in the centre of the road, checking stations complete with fiberglass windows, and next to it a pedestrian checking station with the corrugated iron roof that characterises other checkpoints.A number of vehicles facing westward, and we can see from where we park that there are also cars on the other side. A taxi stands beside us, with people around it – mostly youngsters. A truck loaded with goats and sheep is also standing. The driver has a document from the Palestinian Authority, written in Arabic and Hebrew(!) (another sign of the Israeli control even in civilian matters): the document allows him to transport goats. He arrived from the direction of Bethlehem, passed Wadi Nar at the “Container,” where they allowed him to continue. But here, at Hamra, the soldiers don’t allow! A phone call to Samir, who is responsible for agriculture in DCO Beit El, but he doesn’t answer. Daphna leaves him a message, and calls the Humanitarian Centre, where T. answers.Meanwhile, I count vehicles. at 11:32 there were seven from the south.On the concrete partition the inscription “G-d is King.” We move on to the point where people are inspected. Here they alight from their cars, pass through a hut, come out of the area of the checkpoint, and get back into their cars. As we approach the hut, the checkpoint commander spots us and asks “Israelis?” He comes over, says “shalom” and, very politely, forbids us to approach. An attempt to explain that the place he indicates will not let us see anything succeeds, and he “compromises” and allows us to stand by the water wagon, “Which, incidentally, is empty.” Before going back to his position, he asks “have you brought us any candies? Israelis usually do!” We don’t answer that question “According to the orders that I have, I must open fire on anyone who approaches. Not that I’ll shoot at you, but the checkpoint is a closed military area.” “Do you have a written closure order to show us?” “No. Not on me. But as commander of the checkpoint I decide.” He does say that he has received approval to let the goats through.The time it took a truck from the south to pass the checkpoint – 11 minutes.11:48 – phone call from the Humanitarian Centre. They ask what is happening with the goats. The truck is already through.Drivers of cars from the northwest (west bank)stand their vehicles at a known distance from the checking station. The driver gets out, exposes his upper body, turns 360 degrees, and only then goes over to hand in his documents.The time taken for a car to pass from the northwest is 20 minutes. The soldiers pass one car from the south, then one from the north. They begin to check two in parallel, but not for long.People passing through wish us “shalom” or “good morning.”12:17 – we leave Hamra as the truck which we had chosen as guinea pig drives on. The line from the south is fading away.14:00 Tayasir Checkpoint – Changes on the ground. Building of the hut is complete and passengers arriving from the West Bank go to it. Pedestrians go one at a time to the checking station. Cars pass through and wait for them on the side. It’s difficult to estimate the distance they have to cover. There are traffic lights. The road is low and the vehicle inspection stations are below the pedestrian station.The soldier checking pedestrians uses a loudspeaker: “Irpha baluza, taal…”We approach and stand close to the station where the soldier is. The soldiers identify us and begin the chorus on their radios: “All the lefties are here, interfering with us.” “They’re taking photos too.” The soldier at the inspection station comes out and stops all passage. He gets orders to do so over the radio.Daphna phones the brigade commander’s spokeswoman and explains to her what is happening. She promises to check.14:20 – the duty officer, M., arrives and begins to negotiate with us about the prohibition to stand here. He says he isn’t against us. He tries to explain that our presence endangers the soldiers and us, but he doesn’t succeed in explaining the danger. He tells us that half a year ago a soldier of his was killed at Hamra, when a Palestinian came and started firing. He also adds that the checkpoint is a sterile area.He tries to maintain a courteous tone and style, but his opinions protrude very quickly: “And the country is ours…” and “what do you care about others. ” He also mobilizes the six million killed in the Holocaust. At this point they contact him by radio, and he says that Daphna was standing in the turnstile (blatantly incorrect). Daphna meanwhile is also talking on the phone with the spokeswoman and with MK Ran Cohen and Ali Waked. At a certain stage M. suggests that we back off for ten minutes and he will pass the people through. “Where will we stand?” He doesn’t answer.14:50 – one of the passengers of a minibus calls us. He is after an operation and can’t stand such a long time. His children aren’t through yet. “If there is an argument between you, why us?” he asks. Captainb R. from the DCO arrives. A phone call from the brigade commander’s spokeswoman to Daphna. She tries to persuade us to stand where we are standing, on the slope a few metres from the checking station, and Daphna tells her that from here we see nothing, and she asks M. whether he can see from here what is happening where the people are. M. confirms that from where we are you cannot see. The minibus passengers are meanwhile sitting outside. The soldier at the inspection station shouts to them to board the bus.15:00 – M. again turns to us: “Stand here (where we were before) and I’ll pass the people through, then you can stand where you want.” We comply and the people begin to pass.15:07 – the minibus drives off.We move up to the checking station. An order is heard to close the checkpoint and call the police.15:15 – Daphna phones Ran Cohen.15:20 – we decide to leave. The soldiers will not open, and time is passing. We move away, and the DCO officer leaves.From the direction of the West Bank, a car is standing, and its passengers ask if we are going. Daphna explains to them what is happening and that the soldiers won’t let Palestinians pass while we are there. The passengers ask us to stay.All the while a soldier in the checking station is photographing us.15:45 – at the spot where last Thursday there was still a tent of the el-Hadidia tribe, there are only a few signs that there were people here not long ago. The place is destroyed and desolate. Piles of hay remain, a flight of pigeons takes off as we approach.Daphna has writing separately about the el-Hadidia. We meet a Bedui who says they were evicted yesterday and points south to where they have set up again. He also has an eviction order for one month from now. We photographed the order.16:45 – Hamra checkpoint junction. We observe from the car: from the direction of Jiftlik seven cars are waiting and three from the West Bank.17:05 – Maale Ephraim checkpoint, no pressure.17:24 – Zaatra: 17 cars from Nablus, four from the west.17:39 – Jit junction: no soldiers from any direction.