Beit Furik and Hawwara, Thursday, 28.4.05, PMObservers: Sarah K., Gilad (guest)14:15 On our way to the checkpoints we meet many road-blocks. We find out that the settlers organized a big assembly in Homesh. The police and the army are there to keep the roads open for them. The road-blocks are located at the turn leading to Beit Iba checkpoint, Shavey Shomron and Dir Sharf.14:30 A long line of more than 30 vehicles wait at Shavey Shomron. Settlers are directed to park their cars in the settlement and ride a bus to Homesh.A policeman explains that he must detain Palestinian cars because a road jam was created on the way north. He releases them gradually.14:45 On our way from Beit Iba to Huwwara we pass Homesh. Hundreds of cars park along the road. “Thanks” to the assembly in Homesh we meet no road-blocks at Jit and Huawara junctions. 15:15 Beit Furik – only a few people reach the checkpoint. A computer helps the soldiers to check them quickly. One car is waiting to get out of Nablus. After 10 min wait it is checked and sent on. The commander answers our questions politely, reporting a quiet day with no special events. After half an hour we leave the checkpoint and turn for a short chat to taxi drivers parking on the road to the village of Beit Furik. They say that Thursday afternoon is always quiet. People are at home preparing their rest day.16:00 HuwwaraPeople enter Nablus without check. However, vehicles are checked. Sometimes people are not allowed out of Nablus although they were not checked on their way in. 2 palestinians holding Israeli IDs are detained because they entered Nablus without permission. They claim they did not know the rule forbidding them to do so. There is a sign in the checkpoint announcing this rule, but it is left on the floor nonprominent. 7 soldiers are at the checkpoint. 3 are MP including 2 female soldiers. They check passing people. A soldier hold constantly a gun directed toward the passing people. 2 soldiers stays close to the magnetic gates. They check big luggage. This creates a real bottleneck. It is not clear why people carrying luggage are not checked separately. All along the soldiers at the checking point cannot control the line behind the second farthest carousel. The soldier at the magnetic gate keeps calling them asking to push the button and release the carousels. The checkpoint commander keeps a quiet atmosphere at the checkpoint. He insists that we stay behind the checking point betonades whenever we start turning to different point at the checkpoint.16:00 A line of about 30 people wait behind the carousels. Women have a separate line and are quickly checked. A line of 6 vehicles in both directions: in and out of Nablus. One man is detained. He lives in East Jerusalem and holds an Israeli ID. The commander claims it is forged since the “menorah”, symbol of the state of Israel, is imprinted upside down. The police was informed and is supposed to come and check this man. He presents a membership card of the Wakf.16:15 an old woman faint close to the checking point. The soldiers bring immediately water and direct the woman to a passing ambulance.16:25 Vehicles are checked very slowly. 8 wait in the line. 2 female soldiers leave the checking point and only one soldier stays.16:30 The commander sends back one female soldier. A driver of a UN car comes forward out of the line. He is detained for a few minutes then is allowed to enter Nablus. A taxi is detained. The driver has entered Nablus in the morning without permission. He says that he entered Nablus and got out without problems the day before. The commander sends him to park his car and pass the checkpoint on foot, he and his family that wait in the car. 16:45 A long line of more than 70 men and 15 women was created due to the “bottleneck” at the magnetic gates. The commander directs elder men to a separate line and the load is reduced after a short while. A constant line of 5-6 cars wait on the two sides of the checkpoint.17:00 We call the Humanistic Center of the army. They check the issue of the taxi driver and support the commander’s decision. After more than an hour the driver decides to give up for now. Again, a long line of crowded men is created.17:10 The commander intervenes, start checking separately people without luggage and the load is reduced. We call the police station of Ariel to see why nobody comes to check the Israeli Palestinian from East Jerusalem. They say that they are “on their way”. The commander too keeps calling the police. He suggests the man should be released but is not permitted to do so.18:00 End of the shift for the MP soldiers. It takes them a few minutes to organize and leave the checkpoint. Meanwhile a line of 8 vehicles is created at the entrance to Nablus.18:10 Another Palestinian with an Israeli ID is detained on his way out of Nablus. We call again the police but this time they are impatient and tell us to let the soldiers take care. The soldiers do but the police is still busy.18:30 We leave the checkpoint on our way to collect the shift from Beit Iba. We take the phone number of the Palestinian waiting for the police. We call him at 19:30. He informs us that the police did not arrive till 19:10 and the commander decided to let them go.