HUWWARA, Thursday 23 December 2004 AMObservers: Tal B., Tal-Li B., Naomi L., Dorit L., Michal S., Asnat A. (reporting) colour=red>At the border between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, (after the turnoff to Oranit) we had to halt. An unannounced police checkpoint. Half an hour later, two of our colleagues who passed by reported that the checkpoint had been removed.At the Tapuah junction there was another unannounced checkpoint and, as usual in the past few weeks, this also operated for those coming from Road 5. The innovation this week was that the road has been split in two by a reinforced concrete barrier. One side was for travelers to Nablus (irrespective of sex, religion, race and nationality) and those coming from Nablus ditto (as long as they could produce evidence of Israeli nationality). The other was for travelers from Nablus, irrespective etc… – who were not Israeli nationals. As in the past, the latter had to stand in line and be checked by the soldiers. Today there were only three vehicles in line.At 06:45, we reached the southern checkpoint. Passage was rapid and without problems. People went around the checkpoint and not through the turnstiles. The checkpoint personnel worked efficiently.The northern checkpoint also operated smoothly. The soldiers checked people fast and efficiently. Paratroopers guarded the checkpoint and examined cars. One of the soldiers stopped a car marked (and with a special permit) for conveying medicinal drugs – but the vehicle was also carrying perfume. The commander said this wasn’t the first time this car (and this driver) had been found carrying goods not for medical use. He said he wouldn’t allow the driver to renew his permit because he’d violated the rules. The representative of the District Coordinating Committee (DCO) [the army section that handles civilian matters; it generally has representatives at the checkpoints ostensibly to alleviate the lot of the Palestinians] told him this was too severe a punishment . We told the commander we thought his task was to check for security violations and not customs offences, but he insisted that his job was to impose law and order.Later, the C/O Land Forces visited the checkpoint. He asked us about Machsomwatch’s activities, how many members we had etc. and inquired whether we’d noticed changes in the procedures following all the construction and computerization etc. that’s gone on recently at the checkpoints. We said we considered the changes indicated that the checkpoints were here to stay. He said that eventually the specially set-up checkpoint units of the army would serve at the seam line between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Suddenly a woman soldier called the commander urgently. There was something suspicious in the backpack of one of the young men. The pack was checked, he was taken with another young man and detained and police sappers were summoned. The checkpoint was closed, a sniffer dog was brought in and uncovered explosives. Events proceeded fast, but not fast enough for the 400 people at the southern checkpoint who waited an hour and a half until they got permission to go through, and even then permission was immediately revoked because it turned out that some of the explosives had not yet been detonated. While all this was going on, a vehicle from the Har Bracha settlement with lights, and possibly cameras, directed at us and the detainees came down the hill towards the soldiers guarding the latter. The passengers talked to the soldiers for a few minutes.On the way back, at Tapuah junction, there were seven detainees.