Trans.:  Charles K.

1. What’s new at the Meitar crossing
2. Route 60, the next day
3. Hebron police station, the next day

Meitar crossing

All the laborers have already crossed to the Israeli side.  The only people waiting under the awning on the Palestinian side are relatives of prisoners.

We decide to move closer to see how the renovations are proceeding.  They’re in fact continuing, but the waiting area now looks like a holding pen. 

A small opening has been torn in the rear wall, and everyone enters through it.  Posts have been erected within, forming a winding lane.

The portion facing the revolving gate, which had been open until now, has been covered by netting and now the people waiting are crowded together in a “cage.”  In the absence of chairs or benches, the women and children sit on the ground.  It’s very crowded and looks terrible.  I don’t want to think about someone who has to go to the bathroom or buy something.  It looks simply awful.  We’ll keep following up.  I hope it’s only temporary and that the Crossings Administration will build a more dignified facility for the people who have to use it.

The food vendors are still there, but have been moved slightly farther back.

Route 60

We pay attention to what’s happening on the road.  We’re pleased to see that things are back to normal and the road is open to traffic.  Except for a larger number of military vehicles, we don’t see anything unusual.  The entrance to Dahariyya is open.  Let’s hope it stays that way.

When we reached the location of yesterday evening’s incident (in the words of the police), a few kilometers from the entrance to Akada which had just been opened, we see the police tape and other residue testifying to yesterday’s drama.  The entrance has again been blocked with boulders, but a new path has been made to bypass it.Farther on, we were glad to see that the entrance to Deir Rawa is still open. Nevertheless, we drove all the way to brigade headquarters with a heavy heart, knowing that it’s the same route taken by the vehicle carrying the dead policeman and the wounded men at the same hour yesterday. 
At the Dura-Elfawwar junction, the children of the UNRWA school pass as usual.  The soldiers didn’t come down from the pillbox, but their vehicle is parked below. 
There’s a sheep market again at the Kvasim junction, and the army, too, is there again. 

Hebron
Everything’s going on as usual. The Palestinian Authority schools are on summer vacation, so there’s sparse traffic this morning. Soldiers man all the checkpoints, but there are no detainees. We don’t see anyone from TIPH or CPT. On the other hand, people from ISM are sitting near the Tarpat and Tel Rumeida checkpoints.  The locals tell us that, except for a few hours when all the entrances to Hebron were closed, there were no changes or disruptions. 
Hebron police station: We decide to go to the police stations and express our sympathy because of the policeman’s death and the injuries to the others in yesterday’s attack. We, who protest against violence and the use of force, feel the need to condemn extremists on both sides who try to disrupt any attempt at dialogue and the search for a way to live in peace. The policemen welcome us but apologize that, because the commander is in a meeting, the operations officer will be the one to meet with us. The conversation with him and his staff was polite and courteous. Some of them hadn’t heard much about us before “Big Brother.”  They ask us about our views and our activities. They emphasize how hard it is to be between the “hammer and the anvil,” given their obligation to take care of the civilian population at the same time as they have to deal with the settlers. The operations officer says that, after a long and complicated process, they managed to create a situation of quiet and adherence to the law, except for some well-known exceptions like Anat Cohen. Since we came today to express our sympathies, we avoided criticism, but stressed that our presence is important and the necessity of reminding the residents of the Jewish community in Hebron and in Qiryat Araba what the security procedures are.