Huwwara, Beit Furik, Za’atara, Thursday 6.4.06 p.m.Observers: Yardena T, Hagar L (reporting).Translation: E.K.14:15 – 18:45The ring of siege around the Palestinian habitat is tightened from week to week. Constraints in their movement left no doubt thousands of Palestinians without provider, students who cannot return to their studies, schools that must be half-paralyzed because teachers did not pass the checkpoint. The policy of excluding those of working age at the checkpoints and prevention of passage of public transportation at Huwwara and Palestinian Beit Furik causes that only those who are able to cross the full distance between the parking areas of the taxi’s at both ends of the checkpoint (about one kilometer), and who is able to bear the added expense of the trip – and who is not so young – that only those will pass the checkpoint.The commander of the checkpoint is polite and courteous, which imbues his men with an atmosphere of courtesy towards the inhabitants; yet he implements the terrible policy of limited passage and movement. Exactly because of his courteous behavior I came away so depressed from our watch today. More than ever I realized how little difference it makes how the soldiers behave at the checkpoint, when the policy is so horrible. He spoke nicely to everyone, also when he manacled the detainees, allowed us and the relatives to talk to the detainees, brought a chair to a prisoner in the examination cell, accompanied a prisoner to the bathroom. Returned politely and very patiently some youngsters whose passage was denied. The pill remained bitter and poisonous to the same extent. Maybe for us the spectators at the checkpoint it is more pleasant and comfortable with a commander like this. To the Palestinians it makes very little difference.Limitations in movement and passage:At Za’atara crossroads checkpoint – inhabitants from the Tulkarem and Jenin districts of the ages 15 to 30 are not allowed southwards in the direction of Ram’allah and the southern West-Bank, except doctors and teachers. Students in that age group are not allowed to pass southwards.At Beit Furik checkpoint – inhabitants of the Tulkarem and Jenin districts are not allowed to pass (of all ages) at all. Inhabitants of Nablus are not allowed to pass for ages 15 to 30, except humanitarian cases. Passage of public transport vehicles (taxi’s and buses) is prohibited completely through the checkpoint. Private cars are allowed through and trucks with appropriate permits.At Huwwara checkpoint – men and women from the Tulkarem and Jenin districts of ages 16 -30 are not allowed to pass south of Nablus. Also doctors, nurses and teachers of that age group are forbidden to pass. Passage of public transport ( taxi’s and buses) through the checkpoint is forbidden. Passage of private vehicles is allowed, as far as those few who have appropriate permits.Prisoners and detaineesAt the Atara crossroads checkpoint – three detainees from the Jenin district. Two men with small trucks, who have permits to deliver milk, but who transported in their truck 2 car motors, and another person who claims to work in Jam’ien and tries to get back to his home in Jenin. They arrived from the direction West to the checkpoint. They were released soon after we arrived.At huwwara checkpoint – 11 detainees. 4 of them were arrested on Thursday in Nablus in attack and search activity. They were arrested together with 13 other youngsters and were apparently locked up in the prison facility of the brigade. 13 prisoners were released that same bight, whereas these 4, all from the Jenin or Tulkarem district, were held all night and released only close to 13:00 at the gate of the camp. They walked on the Apartheid-road from the military base in the direction of the Huwwara checkpoint when the commander of the Huwwara checkpoint arrested them for walking in an area forbidden to Palestinian movement. They were released only at 17:20 (over four hours). From the moment they were arrested in Nablus on Wednesday until their release about 24 hours later the prisoners, who turned into detainees, did not receive any food nor water!!2 additional detainees were arrested after they spent a cou[le of hours in the detention compound, while in the last phase before they were led in shackles and blindfolded, on foot, to the brigade prison center, and were thrown in the examination cell which was turned into a cell for solitary confinement. (The commander of the checkpoint brought a chair for the first prisoner who was put in the cell). Both complained of hunger and thirst. One of them requested that I ask the commander to allow him to go to the toilet (and was taken there by the commander of the checkpoint). One prisoner from Jenin and the other from the refugee camp Eschar near Nablus.At 17:30 – two additional detainees are released. One detainee remains in the pen, and two prisoners in the detention cell. The additional detainee was brought in from Huwwara to the checkpoint before we arrived. Acoording to the relatives, merchants from the knafe (sweet delicacy) shop on the main street of Huwwara, the youngster was sent on an errand, started to cross the street when a car with settlers tried to hit him. He started to flee and a civilian vehicle with soldiers who saw him, went in pursuit and arrested him on the accusation of stone throwing. During all his stay at the checkpoint, his family is there also, worrying and asking for our help to free him. At 20:00 I received a message from the family that he was arrested. I don’t believe even for a moment that this young man who looks spoiled and well-kempt and very shielded by his family who own a successful business, that he threw stones at a car with settlers. When I asked that they check if this car was hit by stones, an examination of a few minutes, that it is possible that he threw stones but did not hit the car. And now it is clear whose testimony is going to decide the outcome of the trial.It must be pointed out that although the commander of the checkpoint is one of the more considerate that we met, he does not see as part of his duty to see that the prisoners get water, food or that they be taken to the toilet. I already wrote about this a couple of times that the army does not instruct the soldiers and their superiors how they ought to treat the people who are arrested under their responsibility.Also, taking the prisoners on foot to the prison facility of the brigade, with their shackles and blind-folded, clearly visible to any passers-by, makes for humiliation of the prisoners and causes much fury with the onlookers.Gitt junction – on our way back at the Gitt-junction (road 66-60) we saw two detainees, one already for 2 hours, and apparently they will be taken by the civilian (blue) police. We stopped at the grocer’s at the inn. The grocer told us that he waited in line from 13:00 till 16:00 at the A-Ram checkpoint.14:13 – the two gates in the fence that surrounds the village Marda on the road that leads to Jame’in and Zeita are open without military presence.14:15 Za’atra crossroads CP– 7 cars from the direction west, 3 detainees, according to the soldiers their papers are being examined. A short trip to Salfit to check if there are any checkpoints. At the entrance of Yassuf village, on the road towards Salfit, we meet a group of younsters and we ask about checkpoints. According to them there are at present no checkpoints, except a permanent blockade on the road to Salfit from Ariel. As we return to the checkpoint at Za’atara, the detainees aren’t there anymore. 26 cars stand in line from the north. Two checkposts, the line proceeds relatively fast.The entrance to Beita – without checkpoint of earthen blockade.Huwwara crossing – road checkpoint. 3 vehicles in the direction south.15:00 Beit Furik checkpoint. Many taxi’s wait in the parking area, but when we arrive at the checkpoint, it is empty for a few minutes. During our stay there was a steady stream of individuals in both directions, and few private cars. Remember that no taxi’s and buses may pass the checkpoint. Two taxi drivers complain to us that they cannot return their taxi’s from Nablus to Beit Furik. A taxi brings an old couple from Nablus, lets them off as close as possible to the passage and the elderly start to walk slowly towards the parking lot, which looks very far away in their eyes, since the taxi is not allowed to pass the checkpoint.15:30 – checkpoint Evrata, back-to-back transport. We are met by two soldiers who plod in full gear towards the main road. A boy at the checkpoint tells us that they chase those who circumvent the checkpoint through the fields.The checkpoint was opened last week on time, that is at 6:00. Because of the institution of summer time, the checkpoint closes at 18:00.15:45 Huwwara checkpoint. 13 cars at the entrance to Nablus. The limitations in movement and passage find their expression in the number of those passing at the checkpoint. Relatively to the situation known to us on Thursdays, this is sparse movement. 40-50 persons at the checkpoint most of the time. Two examination posts for bags and body search, one post for examination of ID cards. One for most of the time. Those whose rights of passage are limited and yet come to the checkpoint, are sent back. It must be stated that the soldiers accompany those turned away behave patiently and courteously with the pleas of these persons to pass anyway. Altogether business at the checkpoint is performed in relative quiet, with few urgings of “wahad, wahad”. One hardly hears “Irdja”. One line is for elderly and women. The other line is for less elderly. As we were busy all the time with conversations with detainees and on the phone in order to expedite theeir release, we did not manage to orchestrate the passage of pedestrians nor the passage of vehicles. During all our stay there all posts were active continuously. At 16:20 some 80 pedestrians were at the checkpoint, in the line for the elderly and women a lot of pressure developed and we ask that a humanitarian line be opened. At 16:40 a humanitarian line was opened for a short while.An ambulance is honking wildly in the exit line from Nablus. The cars in line for examination hardly move aside, apparently for fear of passing the allowed imaginary line. At last a paramedic descends from the ambulance and starts moving the cars. The first car in the line moves a little forward very slowly, the driver looks like somebody who is afraid that any moment fire will be opened. At the same time the soldiers are not aware of what is going on in the line. They could have signaled to the first car to move forward in order to allow the ambulance to pass. An old woman sits on a cart, on suitcases, and Yousouf the porter carries her like that from the south side to the north side.16:50 – salvo’s of fire are heard from Kalil village, the soldiers take cover and order us to bend down, but not to the Palestinians., who do not look too much bothered by the shots. Examination of vehicles and pedestrians is interrupted for ten minutes.17:30 – 70 pedestrians are at the checkpoint. More detainees are released, 3 detainees remain and become prisoners.18:00 – 2 prisoners are handcuffed, their eyes blindfolded with flannel bands and they are led, each one by a soldier on foot to the prison unit at brigade headquarters. We take telephone numbers of the relatives of the young man from Huwwara, give the family the card of the center for the defense of individual rights and leave our telephone number.18:10 – we leave the checkpoint,18:15 – We return from the Gitt crossroads – there are 17 cars from the direction east (Huwwara), 40 cars from the direction north-west (Tulkarem, Beit Iba). Two detainees. Drivers and passengers stop us and plead that we expedite the examination for they wait for hours already.