Jubara, Wednesday, 21.9.05, PMObservers: Lee D., Susan L. (reporting)A night out in Jubara18:00Two of the Sunday afternoon shift made their way on a late afternoon to Abu Ghatem’s house for the wedding party of his oldest daughter. At the Jubara entrance, half a dozen young men detained, so we get out of our car to find out why. The usual non committal answers and lack of responsiveness from the soldiers on duty. Beyond the checkpoint, another world, of joyous women, seemingly scores of them, many holding infants, some of whom were being nursed, crowded into Abu Ghatem’s courtyard, music playing, loudspeakers blaring, young and old, but particularly the very young children dancing – beautifully. The young bride more than usually shy and ill at ease, her mother – as mothers at weddings generally – tense and tired. Below, and outside the compound , Abu Ghatem holding court with a about a dozen men. Beyond the parapet of the courtyard, the checkpoint as ever: empty, forbidding and cold on a very warm night. No other MachsomWatchers present, so a great fuss was made of the only two Jews. There were many women from far away, some from Nazareth, Abu Ghatem’s “other” family from Tulkarm, more family from Tira, and, of course, neighbors from the village above. It was not easy to get away, the warm pull of the women preventing us from leaving before something to eat! When we finally got back to the checkpoint, intending to make our way home, we found ourselves trying to deal with endless problems: 19:45 Some of the same young men detained, just then joined by a young man in handcuffs. “Wanted,” was the morose response to our questions. Why some of the others had still not been let go after so many hours remained a mystery, except that this particular batch of soldiers was bent on doing nothing and on getting away with everything. They began to object to our filming, saying it was not permitted. We continued to do so. They got more and more angry, their language more and more ugly. A number of phone calls – mainly of no use – but the one to Y., of the DCO office, soon generated a response. The soldiers at the Jubara gate were joined by three more soldiers, their commander called D., a sergeant, particularly unpleasant. The young detainees began to be called, their IDs returned. The handcuffed one also, his friend, a heart patient telling that before being taken to the compound, he’d been sitting in his car for the past three hours! As the two of them left, one of the soldiers, not even trying to disguise his comment, called, “The Shin Bet will get him and rape him.” A joyous evening marred by the usual ugly posturing and the not uncommon ugly words and actions of the occupying forces.