Huwwara Roadblock, Beit Furiq, Awarta and Za’atra Junction 2 March 2006 a.m.Watchers: Yael S., Nurit R., and Nava A. (reporting)The same depressing routine at the roadblocks, ‘life stops’ at Za’atra Junction (Tapuach).Za’atra7:00 a.m. Everything is going smoothly and there is no sign of what will happen in three hours time. Three checkpoints move the cars across speedily. ‘As usual’ Jenin residents cannot cross but there are no problems for residents of Tulkarm.Huwwara Roadblock7:15 a.m.There is already a detainee in the fenced off area who, according to N., the roadblock commander, shouted at a soldier. He is released at 7:40 a.m. after a conversation with the commander.There are construction materials ready for the building work. N., explains that the work is carried out at night so that those crossing are not hindered. From day to day the walls between the checkers and those checked become thicker.There is a long, crowded queue of people hurrying to work and N., opens the humanitarian lane for a short while.Y., the DCO person, is present but does not really help. Later D. his relief, arrives. He beams at us and notes that he is new and ready to hear our suggestions. We raise the problem of the non-existent x-ray machine, the roadblock commander also complained about it, and the fact that during the morning rush hour there is only one military policewoman at the computers. He notes everything down and promises to look into it.The soldiers ask us not to stand beside the queue, neither in the direction of the road nor by the field.8:00 a.m.The queue of cars wanting to leave Nablus is long and slow. We note a bus on its way to Jordan. It takes until 8:50 a.m. to finish its inspection. All the passengers are taken off the vehicle and all the cases are checked manually. The soldiers open an additional, parallel lane for private cars.At the pedestrian crossing we noted a woman who had to wait twenty minutes.Tul-Karem and Jenin residents are not allowed to leave Nablus.Suddenly a burst of agitation – one of the soldiers runs, with his weapon, across to the parked taxis who turn and drive away. When we ask what is going on we are told that it is his initiative to try and organize the waiting taxis.There were no hold-ups at the entrance to Nablus, pedestrians crossed without harassment and there were few cars.8:50 a.m.For no obvious reason a queue of 10 cars built up at the entrance to the town.The back-to-back roadblock at Awarta9:00 a.m. I greet A., the roadblock commander, with: “Good Morning” and he answers: “It isn’t now that I see you here…”There are just a few cars in the car park and one in the queue to enter the town. A prickly dog handler hangs out with the soldiers.On the way to Beit Furiq: there are red anemones and a young deer (obviously not a Palestinian) run across the forbidden road and gladdens our eyes.Beit Furiq9:15 a.m. In spite of all his efforts A., the commander, cannot get one of the turnstiles to work and so a long queue builds up for the other one. He acts and instructs the women and the elderly to bypass the turnstile, and he improvises a humanitarian lane.9:40 a.m.On the way back to Huwwara we see no particularly long queues and we continue on to the town.At the entrance a roadblock, which is not a surprise, is in place with a queue of six cars in front of it.9:45 a.m.The soldiers at the roadblock explain that they have received a warning and they are looking for a suspicious car. The inspections, which they have all been through at Huwwara are not sufficient because the suspects may come from the west. It is also a further opportunity to separate those from Tulkarm and Jenin.10:00 a.m.On the way up to Za’atra Junction there is a long, long queue, like in the old days before the terminal was built. We counted 74 cars. When we got to the terminal we saw that the queue in the direction of Nablus was no shorter. Settlers’ cars, lorries, buses all hooting and no one is permitted to cross. It appears that a ‘life is stopped’ has been declared. There is a particularly hot warning. All the soldiers leave the checkpoints and the Border Police take control of the area. First of all they see to it that all the Israeli cars are released (as if there has never been a terrorist with Israeli number plates).In the first car to be stopped, about a quarter of an hour ago, a child of about a year old is screaming in his father’s arms. The mother, in an advanced stage of pregnancy, asks us to speak to the soldiers and perhaps they can be checked and go on their way. The roadblock commander’s answer: “She has nothing to worry about we have held up an ambulance and she will be able to give birth in it.”10:00 a.m.The Border Police commander in the area spells out to us that we cannot remain standing near the incident and we must move away from the area. We moved over to the Green Line, called Sarah and asked her to inform the afternoon shift what awaits them.