Irtah, Jubara, Anabta, Wednesday, 20.7.05, AMObservers: Edna K., Dafna P., Rina T. (reporting)Irtah Closed. No entry of Palestinian workers into Israel. This has been goingon for a week, since the terrorist attack in Natanya on July 13th.Jubara07:05 – More traffic than is usual for this hour of the day at the exitfrom Tulkarm (the reason follows) – both of pedestrians and of vehicles. The number of soldiers checking is regular. One of the drivers reported toMaya (and it was on the net) about very long lines of vehicles leaving Tulkarm this morning. There is one detainee (illegal entry) at the Jubara CP. The commander of the CP stated that he would be detained “for as long as is needed”, and refused to say for how long that would be. We have already warned, in the past, that the soldiers at this CP, encouraged andsupported by their commanders, view their task as one of “educating” thosecommitting illegal entry so they punish them by confining them to the CP. Each commander, and sometimes the soldier himself, decides upon the appropriate punishment. All this is contrary to the instructions of the Chief Military Attorney whereby punishment at the checkpoints is forbidden.11:00 – On the way back from Bet Iba, even before we reached the CP, we could see from a higher place the long queue of vehicles at the Tulkarm exit. We counted over ten cars. Maybe even from there it is not possibleto see all the vehicles because the road is perhaps a curved one.11:45 – At the Jubara CP there are four detainees (illegal entries), oneof whom has been waiting for almost half an hour. The soldiers said theywould soon release him (which they did), but because the other three are knownto them, they will continue detaining them. For how long? “We are permittedto detain them for three hours.” We called the DCO. They promised to takecare of it. However, all three were set free immediately. In addition, there were three children who were placed in a concrete block as an educational punishment. The MW women who frequented the Jubara CPs three months ago remember the “CP children” – children aged 8-13 who usedto come to the checkpoints, tease the soldiers, ask by passers for money and food and tried to penetrate into Jubara. Having nothing better to do, the CP served as their playground and a place to hang out. Another by product of thecheckpoints. During the last few months the children disappeared but maybe the summer vacation is bringing them back. There were four such children. As afore mentioned, three had been arrested by the soldiers. When we called the DCO on their behalf, they were immediately released.12:00 – We left the CP.Anbata Junction7:20 – 7:35 Three soldiers. In addition to the concrete blocks, they also have an improvised shed made out of camouflage net. There is not a single vehicle on the road in both directions. It seems that since the closure placed on Tulkarm , the road leading to Anabta and Tulkarm has been closed off by the metal barrier (the yellow one) that used to be there before the “concessions” and thus the road was physically blocked. Furthermore, the soldiers at the intersection prevent all cars fromreaching the metal barrier. This means that the situation has deteriorated sincethe “concessions” and the handing over of Tulkarm to the Palestinians. Nowit is also not possible to cross over from side to side from taxi to taxi.This road exists no longer for the Palestinians. Given that this once was the main road connecting Nablus and Tulkarm , this explains the pressure atthe entrance to and the exit from Tulkarm at the Jubara checkpoint. A man arrived. He is no longer young and has a job in a village two kilometers away from the CP. The soldiers told him to go to Jubara. He cannot afford a taxi (let alone the waste of time). Finally the soldiers relented and allowed him to go through on foot.