Jalama, CP 250 Sunday, 8/8/2004 Observers: Neta G., Ana N.S. (reporting) Jalama, 6:00. About 40 men and 20 women are awaiting inspection. The CP and all its posts were opened at 5:00 AM. Like in our previous visit, efficiency is the name of the game: One soldier by the magnumeter, and 2 others do the checking at the table in a pace of 3 people at a time. The line moves smoothly without tension or arguments over places in the line. All the time there are more people joining the line so there are tens of people at the site at all times.At this time, most of the people in line are workers on their way to work in Israel. The merchants usually arrive an hour later. Between the soldiers at the checkpoint and the open field to their left, there is a mini-security fence, apparently offering the soldiers a sense of security.Upon the on going routine, we observe the procedure of the inspection: The young soldiers are required to instruct elders, their parents’ age and older, to roll up their shirts and roll down their pants at a safe distance from them. They order the older persons to turn around and then approach the table on which they empty their bags in front of everybody. The soldiers check their pockets. If they hear a whistle, they have to present their personal papers to a foreign eye, to raise their hands, separate their legs while the electronic device goes over their body from top to bottom, and all that in front of a pointed gun. With all our understanding that its a required procedure – it’s simply horrible. The back-to-back CP opens at 6:45, 15 minutes early than usual. For the duration of our stay, there was pressure at the parking lot. 7:45, CP 250. During the half an hour in which we stayed at the site there were cars, taxis and trucks crossing over to Jenin and back, while the soldiers do random checking, all under warnings coming this way. The CP was opened at 7:00, and this is going to continue from now on. Our joy over the opening of the gates at 5:00 was premature.We look at the empty field in front of us, the valley fertile soil is idle, probably dreaming of the Garden of Eden it could have been, only if… 8:15. Back to the Jalama CP, on the way we stop by a group of Palestinians, worker but mostly merchants, waiting. There is no water in the big container. We offer bottled water. The workers bring up once more the predicament of needing to get out of Jalama and not through a closer gate to where they live.Another problem is the difficulty of visiting relatives due to the need to obtain a special permit for that matter at the DCO. They bring up other complaints to which we are the wailing Wall and at time we try to do more. 9:00. We’re on our way out.