Huwwara, Wednesday 5.4.06, AMObservers: Dalia V., Nurit V.-L.Translation: Erez L.11.55 Za’atara Junction – strangely empty from all directions. We stop just to ask what the standing order are for today – a closure for Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarm applies to men between the ages of 15-30; a closure for Nablus applies to women between 15-3012.05 Yizhar Junction – a small number of automobiles waiting, but they pass through relatively quickly12.10 Huwwara – a constant rain is falling, and it’s cold. Taxi drivers and salespeople from the marketplace are huddled together underneath an improvised shelter of the southern side. In spite of our umbrella, we will get wet on the way from the southern CP to the northern one. The CP is pretty full. From the back, security inspection is taking place on both sides. On the left side pass women and the elderly. In the front, only one turnstile is open, and then afterwards, two. Two lines for checking identity papers are working. When we arrive, officers from the Army Engineering Corps are present and are checking the turnstiles.When we arrive, a young man is being searched in the closed inspection booth, and afterwards they handcuff him. In answer to our questions, we are told that he is “wanted for criminal behavior.” Surprisingly, they don’t let him “dry out” for a long time in the cell, and a jeep from the General Security Services (GSS) picks him up (it doesn’t seem like we’re just talking about criminal behavior).Because of the rain, we ask A., commander of the CP, to allow people to wait in the detention pavilion – if they want to. He agreed, and predominantly the elderly and parents with children are gathered there.12.50 -Two women arrive at the CP – an old woman and a young women (mother and daughter). It’s obvious that it is very difficult for the young woman to walk. The two women go to the detention pavilion. After a short time, the young woman falls to her knees and starts crying. It turns out that she had had an abortion in Nablus, and that she is on her way home. She is suffering from severe pain. We get the commander of the CP and we ask him to immediately let one of the arriving taxes from the south and/or some other car, which will take her to her village without staying there. The soldiers ask whether they should order an ambulance. To us, it sees like they should, but it’s not clear whether it would get there quickly, and the women prefer any other car in order to get on their way on their own. A car-owner passing through the CP gets permission to bring his car from where it’s parked on the south side up to the CP, and the women are taken away from there.13.15 -A teacher from Aqraba arrives and asks the soldiers to check him earlier, because he was called from work to go to his sick mother. The soldiers refuse, and the man tries to cut in line and gets caught. Instead of just sending him back to the end of the line, they detain him, and take his papers for inspection. We go to A. and explain to him the situation, and ask him not to delay the man any longer than the inspection out of punishment and also to expedite the situation. Despite his efforts, this doesn’t happen.13.30 -We go to speak to the IDF Humanitarian Center with the details of the situation and ask them to take care of this man.Otherwise, things occur as normal. The number of people crossing is greatly reduced, perhaps because of the weather.The soldiers are passing people through relatively quickly, and are behaving politely and respectfully under the calm supervision of A.14.00 -Unfortunately, Dalia begin to feel very unwell (she had come with us on the shift already not feeling well because she didn’t want us to have to cancel), and without having any other choice, we left to head home – first having called again the IDF Humanitarian Center to ask the CP commander to take care of the detained man.On the way, we tried calling again to the IDF Humanitarian Center and to the man, and nothing had changed. We had the same results when we tried calling from home.16.00 -Having making a bunch of different phone calls, I manage to get a hold of someone of rank and authority in the District Coordination Office (DCO), and the detainee was released immediately. In response to my complaint regarding the intolerable delay, the official claimed that the matter had only just come to his attention. The soldier in the IDF Humanitarian Center said that he passed our request along at 13.00, and was never responded to. From this experience, as well as others, the apparent conclusion is that there is something deficient in the communications between the IDF Humanitarian Center and the authorities in the DCO, and also that in urgent situations, it is necessary to get in touch directly with the authorities at the DCO, and we also need to return to this problem and complain about it.