Huwwara, Sunday 10.4.05, PMObservers: Noah P. Naomi L. (reporting)A watch without Palestinians but with not a boring moment. The hillside youth, son of the Zar family, made the time pleasurable for the soldiers by shouts, curses and threats hurled both at us and at the Palestinians. 13.30 Our driver informed us that there was a general strike in Nablus as a protest against Ravavva who wished to go up on the area of the Dome of the Rock and therefore for most of the time the checkpoint was abandoned and very few entered or left.The “hilltop boy” met us at the entrance to the checkpoint, identified himself as Zvi Zar and immediately opened up with abuse and scorn at us…..”Defilers of Israel who love and help the enemy, beasts, a shame and disgrace to the state, etc. “We would not bother to mention this but his behaviour disturbed the regular conduct of the checkpoint which was almost empty of Palestinians. He gave the soldiers much pleasure from his behavior. “At last someone is saying to them what we think”, “He is doing our work for us”. Every now and again they called him over and whispering together prepared the next wave of curses. Also the Palestinians who passed suffered from his mouth “We will push all of you out of here” and not one of the soldiers dared to silence him. Here too he was doing their work for them. He also threatened us “If you are not out of here in 10 minutes I will call my friends.” In the meantime people began to arrive and the terror began at the carousels. A young man waiting for his father was sent off rudely by the soldiers. “Stand next to the taxis.” Not one of the MPs, graduates of the checkpoint courses of Zahal had on an identity tag as published by Zahal who has tried to market this elite unit who are supposed to deal with civilians. The conduct of the women soldiers was disgraceful.. The presence of the military representative of the DCO was unnecessary …..he did not show his face once at the checkpoint and just kept to the area of the dogs the entire time.13.50 A man at the checkpoint asks for his inspection to be done quickly as he is in a hurry. The woman soldier: “Do you hear his cheek? I will waste his time for him.” and little Zar “Yalla Yalla shut up….in a while we will drive you all out ” with threatening hand movements which the soldiers enjoy.14.00 A changing of the guards which is a spectacle in itself. For 10 minutes the soldiers kiss and embrace, shouting in loud voices and small Zar joins them, embracing those coming and going, giving them chewing gum, zabbaba to all. Those leaving shout to him “Keep it up” and he does so telling us of the rivers of blood that his family has spilt on the ground of the Shomron. “My brother, what’s doing?’ says the soldier coming on; duty.In the meantime there is a small row of people waiting……who cares? 14.10 The woman soldier checks the id’s while singing and trilling and shouting admiring remarks to Chusam, the officer of the DCO. A soldier stands at the carousel checking the contents of the parcels on a small table which in the past was used to close the passing of the Magnometers. A man in traditional dress arrives and the soldier tells him to spread his legs and lift his galabia. 14.40 30 people at the carousel and the shouts of “one at a time” Little Zar gives all his friends chewing gum (except for one near the road who has not taken part in the party), and the soldiers start chewing away while checking the id’s. The woman soldier surpasses herself by popping bubbles in the faces of those she is checking while she shouts at them “What do you think? This is a marketplace?” in the meantime sending kisses to Chusam who seems more interested in the dogs. While Zar whispers to the soldiers the Palestinians stand and wait.14.50 Little Zar leaves us for his home at Eitemar and blessed silence falls. There are only a few people at the carousel and the soldiers make them guess to which they should go. They have to try each one until they get to the one which pleases the soldiers. An elderly man arrives outside the gates and they shout at him “What is this? Is there no checkpoint here?’ He is already at the checking point but the soldier sends him back to pass through the carousels. A group on internations enter Schem and the soldier says “What do they need to go to Schem for ? It’s like going for a trip to Chiria.” The woman soldier is still singing eastern songs and the Palestinian women have to guess where to go to be checked.15.10 A commercial vehicle without goods arrives and the driver shows a permit fot the car. The soldiers begin a very vocal argument about where it is a lorry. “”hey idiot you don’t know what a lorry is…it has two wheels at the back. Chusam has neither the knowledge or desire to help. Michael who is in command of the checkpoint is busy with the taxi drivers and after 15 minutes comes and says it is not a lorry. Cars which arrive and do not stand behind the red line get the usual treatment and are are sent backwards so that the other cars also have to back up. There were no detainees the entire watch.16.00 We wonder what would have been had there been no strike in Schem. We left there for Beit Iba where we arrived to find the checkpoint being closed.