Huwwara Sunday 8.5.2005, PM Watchers: Yehudit B. Noah P. Naomi L. (reporting) Natanya G. translating15.30 The checking posts were working. The fourth soldier kept his weapontrained on the passers by and did not stop shouting at the people who weretrickling through the passage with shouts of “one, one”. Today they had topass one by one and not in twos. There were mainly young people in thecarousels. Women and children passing outside the turnstyles. The commander of the checkpoint A. stood all the time with the soldier so that ahumanitarian door should not be formed.A. introduces himself to us and asks us to speak only to him and on noaccount to speak to the soldiers. 5 minutes later one of the soldiers saysto us “By my life I do not understand you. Don’t you have children of yourown in the army?.” 16.00 About 100 people at the checkpoint. The women’s parcels are checked on the floor. The soldier bends on his knees and checks the many parcels. We ask A. to bring a table for the checking and he says “You are quite right.”And in spite of the many tables which are at the checkpoint during theentire watch does not bring one. The soldier checking the women isexceptionally polite, says please and thank you. He asks a woman with a veilface why she does so, this with a smile and she answers him willingly.Sometimes he jokes with the younger women and they laugh with him.16.25 A new energetic military policeman arrives at the checkpoint . Heasks all the men to turn around and lift their shirts including those withtheir shirts in their trousers and evidently they have nothing elseunderneath. Then he checks their parcels in a vulgar manner, pushes hishands in, pulls out notes and reads them, checks all notebooks and boolks,takes out a note which is in the pocket of jeans and “reads” it with greatattention. The soldier on guard makes a point of keeping the line in orderand sends to the back those he thinks have pushed in. 17.16 5 older men arrive at the humanitarian line and show theirdocuments. The soldier “Push them back behind the checkpoint.”17.34 The humanitarian line is closed but women push the turnstile and passanyway. The soldier sends them back shouting “Return return” at the sametime using his hands to emphasize this. One detainee is sent to the pen , on the conection they speak to “5” theShabak. His friends who are waiting for him say that he is always detained. After 20 minutes he is freed until the next time. Buses from Nablus unload people who are checked for about 20 minutesbefore going to the taxis. A young woman who is veiled is detained and the soldier asks her to takeoff her veil so that he can see her face. She says she has a baby at homeand after a short while is sent on her way. 18.00 All the checking posts are abandoned and when we ask A. what thereason is he says “The whole day you just ask questions. Are you trying to quarrel with me?”. A man presents a document identifying him as a member of a medical team. The soldier decides that the date has expired and puts it in his pocket. Seeing that we are looking at him he takes it out and with a black pen which the commander throws to him writes across it in Hebrew “expired”. He gives itback to him…now it has really expired. He shouts at an old man with acane who is passing ” Back back to the checkpoint….what is the matterwith you, “Small head? Yalla yalla back” 18.30 At the Huwarra checkpoint there is now a road block, about 15 carswhich previously were at the checkpoint now stand again at the entrance toYitzhar again waiting to be checked. This to make a bit of a change for theborder police. A very long line of cars in both directions. The first carshave already been waiting more than half an hour. When we arrive the carsare freed but two “detainees” are taken off. They ask the commander how theyare to get to Jenin and he promises to find them a lift once they have beeninvestigated. The drivers coming from Hebron tell us that this is the thirdcheckpoint and they have already been on the road for a long time. The carsare checked at intervals, one on each side and everyone waits. At one stagethe commander gives the drivers a lesson. “I signed to you to stop…youstop…what do you want? That there should be an accident.” The setting sunblinds people so that they cannot see his hand signs. The settlers ofcourse pass quickly.” Some of the hilltop youth, the pride of our youth,curse us vilely. We are “prostitutes’ and again prostitutes?? Also’traitors” and “Nazis.” At Beit Iba the checkpoint closes at 19.30 today. When we ask whathappens to people who come later we are told by a pleasant shy soldier that”We take it into consideration. The MP said we must act humanely.”