Huwwara 18 December 2005 Watchers: Yael B., and Ditza Y (reporting)The roadblock: humanity alongside cruelty. On the one hand there was considerate behaviour and on the other a demand that a Palestinian open a suspect bag.Za’atra Junction7:40 a.m. (approximately)17 vehicles in line in an easterly direction. There is no queue of vehicles from the direction of Nablus. According to the roadblock commander there is a closure and no vehicles are allowed to leave Jenin and Tulkarm in the southerly direction towards Nablus.Huwwara8:10 a.m.Separation at the roadblock, also known as a ‘breathing encirclement’. Palestinians from Jenin and Tulkarm are prevented from leaving the Nablus area, and no residents of Nablus between the ages of 15 – 30 are allowed out. There are about 50 people in the queue for the turnstile and only one person checking at the document checkpoint. 8:15 a.m.A car on its way to Nablus crosses the virtual line which cannot be crossed without the permission of the soldiers. A soldier gives an order in a thunderous voice to the driver: Reverse! The driver alights from his car and approaches the soldier to talk to him. The soldier: I didn’t call you out! You came to me without me asking you to!8:20 a.m.A seriously ill eight-year-old boy is on his way to hospital in Nablus in a car driven by his father. An elderly woman is with them – apparently the grandmother. He is not allowed to enter Nablus, because the car has no permit to cross. The boy looks very ill; his face is yellow and grey. The soldier at the checkpoint for Nablus asks another driver who is going to Nablus to take the boy and his grandmother. They are not willing to go with him; probably they will not go without the father. The father, who had gone to park his car, returns, puts the boy on his shoulders and they walk off in the direction of Nablus.A Palestinian from Tuluza is not allowed to leave Nablus.8:40 a.m.A taxi without an entrance permit to Nablus is forced to return from whence it came.The roadblock commander, at our request, finds out how many vehicles are in the queue to leave Nablus – 12 vehicles are waiting.Documents are checked by just one girl soldier. When we approach the commander he claims that from time to time he augments the checkpoints.He also sometimes mans an additional checkpoint himself or sends another soldier there.9:00 a.m.Two girl students from Jenin are standing beside the lock-up weeping. They are not allowed to leave for their school in Ramallah. At their side their baggage shows that they mean to be away for a long time. They are told to return to Nablus, but they stand and wait – perhaps they think a miracle will happen and they will be allowed to go to the place of their desire?9:20 a.m. (approximately)The students have given up, taken their I.D. cards from the checkpoint and returned whence they came.9:30 a.m. (approximately)A bag is on the lockup railing. The soldiers have tried to find out whom it belongs to but are unable to identify its owner therefore it is considered a suspect package. The roadblock commander sent a Palestinian to open the bag. The man went and opened the bag without saying anything (nothing dangerous was found in it) and returned to Nablus because he is prevented from leaving the town. Meanwhile one of the students returned to get the bag, which belonged to her.We stood by stunned. We should note that we have found in our shift that the roadblock commander, R., is an ethical person who does not keep to every dot and comma of the regulations, but who uses his own judgement, considers the Palestinians and tries to meet them halfway when possible, therefore, the question which has to be asked is: are these military orders – because the severed hands or the body of a Palestinian is cheaper for the army than calling out sappers to check a suspect package?9:45 a.m.An old woman, who has difficulty walking, stumbles in the direction of Nablus. A soldier arranges a lift for her.9:50 a.m.An old couple, the woman walking with crutches, came in their son’s car and want to go to Nablus. The car has no permit to cross. They are forced to get out of the car, which they do with great difficulty. The soldier at the roadblock asks another driver to take them to Nablus and they drag themselves to his vehicle, again with much difficulty.10:00 a.m.5 girl students who are en route to Ramallah are not allowed to continue on their way. One of them says she has an examination today – the occupation does not taken examinations into consideration.There are 70 – 80 people at the turnstile. There are only two soldiers checking. One of them, a military policewoman, shouts at a Palestinian who is at the very least twice her age: You are lying! Why are you lying to me! We were unable to find out what the problem was.10:15 a.m.A woman with a child is not allowed to cross because of her age. The commander talks to her and then lets her through.2 relatives aged 24 and 25 on their way to hospital in Ramallah for tests are not allowed to cross. We are disappointed that we are unable to reverse the decision.A Palestinian who has moved to Ramallah from Nablus is not allowed to cross because his I.D. card shows that he is a resident of Nablus. He approaches to commander who checks him out and lets him through.10:20 a.m.A young man who requests permission to visit his father in hospital in Ramallah is refused because of his age. He turns to us and we advise him to wait for the roadblock commander who is busy at present.10:25 a.m.A young couple with a sick baby accompanied by the grandmother are prevented from leaving Nablus because of their age. They turn to the commander and after checking he allows them to leave.10:30 a.m.A Hebrew speaking woman and her 17-year-old son, who is prevented from crossing, cross after a conversation with the commander.10:40 a.m.With our mediation, the young man who wanted to visit his sick father approaches the commander and he allows him to leave for Ramallah.A detainee, who works in Ramallah, tells us that he goes to Ramallah every two days and each time he is detained for an hour or two or more. The roadblock commander explains, when we ask, that he is detained by the Shabak because he appears to have a connection to someone the Shabak are seeking.10:45 a.m.The detainee is released and allowed to go on his way.10:50 a.m.We leave the roadblock.