Huwwara, Sunday 9.7.06 PMObservers: Noa P., Tal H., Judit B., Naomi L. (reporting)Za’atara(Tapuach) Junction – few vehicles, no waiting lines. On our way back no waiting lines southbound, about 20 vehicles waiting in line from the west.Burin (Yitzhar)-Huwara Road Junction – on our way in, no roadblock. On our way back, roadblock manned, about 15 cars waiting.Huwwara -CP Commander O. – gained much credit throughout our shift. Willing to listen, help solve problems on the spot, reigning his soldiers not to be brutish. Seemed unbiased, practical and caring, seeing human beings in front of him – children, elderly women, pregnant mothers. Every decision taken to alleviate things for the Palestinians. Unlike him – the checkpoint. Major humiliation, brutal, merciless and depressing as ever.DCO rep. – A., MP commander on the spot – E.15:30 – the waiting shed full to bursting. People pressed against each other like sardines in a tin, hot crowded and noisy. 2 checking posts only, as usual, with women MPs checking the men, very slowly. The special side line open – male soldiers checking the women passing through it. At the exit women and children crowd around waiting for the men standing in line for hours on end. The women who can no longer stand sit on the boiling asphalt. A youngster tells us he’s been waiting for 3 hours in line!When one securing soldiers takes a 10 minute break, the checks are halted.As usual, men required to bare their belly and back, leave the check with their trousers undone and finish dressing while walking toward the exit.A detainee is sent to the ‘hold’. For fear of their escaping, detainees are no longer sent to the pen. The soldier yells at him, he yells back: “What is this, waiting in line for over 2 hours! We’re not beasts. I’m a human being after an 8-hour work day!” The soldier counters with “Shut your mouth!” and pushes him into the concrete cell. After MP officer Eli lectures the fellow about proper behavior he explains to us that the guy bypassed his buddies and that’s why they were shouting and acting up… His punitive measures help maintain order at the checkpoint and soldiers’ security.Another youngster exits, telling us he waited over 3 hours. The CP Commander, a young lieutenant (with ultra-orthodox style side curls emerging from beneath his helmet all the way to his shoulders) answers us about the problem of women soldiers body-checking men. He finds this very problematic too, but has no choice: the MP men and women’s role is to check the population, the combat soldiers’ role is to secure the checking procedures. That’s the man-woman-power allotted him for the job, and we should complain with the higher echelons. About the horrible waiting lines he says, “Today the lines are especially problematic”. From the army’s “humanitarian” hotline we know that today’s checking is especially thorough (last week was like this too). Men between 15 and 36 years of age from Nablus, Balata and Askar Refugee Camps are not allowed out of the city.15:45 – Crowding reaches the edge of the shed. Hard to estimate how many people stand in the lines from our permitted observation point. Impossible to speak to the people crowded inside the shed, although they signal us to approach them. Another youngster exiting the CP says “Do you SEE what they’re doing to us??” Others refuse to speak to us after finally extricating themselves from the horrible lines.Women heavy-laden with packages, sleeping toddlers on their arms, get out of the line and stand in the sun waiting for their men standing in the shed. Although they pass nearly without checking, they too are victims of the “thorough procedures”. The CP commander lets pregnant women advance and get through on the paved lane.An added obstacle for the people entering Nablus through the entry path – a turnstile that encumbers passage for people with large packages, children held in arms, prams etc. The side gate for this purpose is kept locked (!!!) so they must struggle and squirm through the narrow turnstile opening until finally getting through.2 young men reaching the checking post are refused. “Even if you stay here till tomorrow, I can’t check you”, the woman MP shouts at them. One of them, according to his ID, lives in Luban, but the army computer has him residing in Nablus. The other lives in Awarta, and it is not clear why he is not allowed through. The CP commander is requested to deal with the problem, and after a short check he releases them.A. too comes forward to help pass women with babies and children out of the lines. The men he turns back to the line.The vehicle line exiting Nablus is endless. The checks are horrifically slow, and between checking vehicles, the soldiers take breaks and cars wait for hours until allowed through. 16:45 – about 30 people let through the side line to lighten the crush, still the ‘humanitarian’ line is full to the end of the shed.We appeal to the CP commander about the detainee who “messed up”, his wife awaits him at the exit. Promises to look into it. The youngsters in line break out in loud protest singing. 2 children carrying sponge mattresses request to pass outside the line, the soldiers turn them right back. Half an later they come through.16:55 – To lighten the burden, again several dozen women with children are let through without checking. This is repeated time and again. So why are all the others harassed with the waiting? Still the shed is full to bursting.17:00 – a youngster is sent to the concrete hold, the commander closes the door on him. Says he ran away from the CP and had to be chased back. The GSS is contacted to check his details, the commander says that under the present circumstances he should be restrained and blindfolded. After an hour his mother comes looking for him. Tells the commander and MP Eli that he is “crazy”. Until we left, there was yet no answer from the GSS and he was not released.After appealing again to the Commander he releases the detainee that ‘misbehaved’ in line. The porter with luggage cart arrives fully laden, for 15 minutes the woman-soldier in charge of checking exiting vehicles is busy with his packages. All presents opened, stuffed toys well shaken, thorough fumbling through underwear and socks… And the people waiting to exit Nablus just kept waiting.A woman waits over 2 hours for her husband stuck in the lines. The baby in her arms cries and cries. Finally she sits down on the “women inspection” booth and nurses him. We remember the bitter joke of nappies and baby formulas the army promised to provide the waiting women… She will be waiting for another hour until finally being reunited with the men of her family. A soldier refuses to let through a car with the Red Crescent insignia, reasoning that “he keeps lying to us”. When we summon the CP Commander, the reason changes to “He thinks he’s an ambulance”… Ori instructs the soldier to let it through. The driver says: “If you weren’t here, I’d not be allowed through”.17:40 – The shed still full of pedestrians but a bit less crowded. A woman reunites happily with her son after waiting over 2 hours. Another Red Crescent vehicle is refused entry, until the Commander intervenes.17:50 – a bus makes it to the head of the line. All passengers, including women and toddlers, are ordered off. IDs collected. 25 minutes until the check is done. One of the youngsters is turned back to Nablus.2 women and a boy appeal to the commander to extricate their 37-year old companion from the lines because he is a heart patient. Ori sends the boy to get him, the boy returns with no one. Ori goes with him to the line, get the man out, checks his Id and they’re out.18:10 – Still waiting liens, young men shouting in chorus. A man from Salfit has been waiting for his 16, 17, and 18 year old sons since 13:00. In the morning he took them to Nablus to shop for clothes and shoes, he and his little son were through the check when we got there, he’s worried, has no idea of their whereabouts. When they finally got out, they told us that the crowding and the pushing of the soldiers made them shrink back to the edge of the shed waiting for the crush to recede. For the last half hour Ori and Eli were willing to locate the brothers and hurry up their passage, but could not find them. At 18:41 (after nearly 5 hours) the family was reunited.18:35 – a quarter of the shed still full, checks slower than ever.The detainee still waiting for the GSS answers – according to Ori, and then will be released (or not).Beit Furiq, Sunday 9.7.06 PMObservers: Judit B., Noa P. (reporting)In the morning urgent phone calls came in reporting 40 trucks waiting at Beit Furiq for over 2 hours, to enter Nablus. This was confirmed by the taxi drivers during our afternoon vigil, saying “the line stretched back nearly all the way to the village”. After we called the army hotline, everyone was let in suddenly to Nablus without checks, 10 minutes and the line became history (according to the complaining driver).17:45 – 3 very laid back soldiers eat and listen to music, let people through without delay. Very few pedestrians, no superfluous harassments. Few vehicles passing through nearly without checking. The checkpoint closes down at 7 p.m., “as usual” according to the soldiers.Cab drivers complain that only 2 taxis from Beit Furiq have a permit to enter Nablus with passengers. All others must wait at the checkpoint taxi park to receive pedestrians going to Beit Furiq.