Difficult shift, intentional delay at Olives Checkpoint (opened only two hours in the morning), demolition injustice at Nabi Samwil; severe harassment of us around the colony checkpoint of Mount Shmuel.

7:20 Olives Checkpoint – open every day only from 7 to 9 a.m. On the way back, magnetic card needed.

Peeping into the inspection window we saw 2 girl soldiers and a male soldier sitting around idle, everything empty. We wondered, because we expected a crowd in the limited opening time. When we crossed over to the Palestinian side of Izariya, we discovered a waiting line of about 25 people crowding madly in front of the external turnstile: women and babies, children, the elderly. Pretty soon we found out this is a preliminary checkpoint prior to the actual crossing checkpoint, and only 8-10 people may pass the entry turnstile to the checkpoint compound at a time. This is simply a long and exhausting delay. If the external turnstile were opened, everyone could cross within 10 minutes. Talking with those waiting, we understood that “it’s like this every day”.

In the situation that arose, the external waiting period was long, at least 25 minutes, showing that the inspectors rested to their hearts content between openings. By no coincidence, the button connecting the inspection post across from the external turnstile is not functional. If one wishes to say something (and naturally no answer is given) one has to scream. The Palestinians don’t scream of course. It’s not worth it.

We did. We shouted to the soldiers, and eventually managed to get the hotline and reported this to the nice girl (who didn’t know we were considered pariahs by the Civil Administration) and asked her to call the inspectors and stop this torture. Hanna Barag, too, spoke with the officer at the war-room who promised to let the commander in charge of the checkpoint know. The truth is that we saw no behavior change until we left.

We understood that this was the usual practice: this is how one lengthens waiting time at the checkpoint and reduces the number of people crossing during the two hours it is open.

In the meantime, a boy on a wheelchair with his accompanier came and waited for the humanitarian door to open.

First we called the girl soldier sitting across from us in the closed entry post and shook the gate bars – in vain. The accompanier asked us to stop so they will not take it out on the Palestinians when they finally get checked. After about 20 minutes the door suddenly opened and the boy and his accompanier went through.

At the exit from the checkpoint, the inspectors (whose number in the inspection post was now 6) asked me to delete the photos I took, and blocked our exit for several minutes. Finally, they let us go.

Nabi Samwil – yesterday Eid Barakat called and asked that we come, for houses are being demolished in Nabi Samwil.

Yesterday 4 houses were demolished in Nabi Samwil. We visited one of them. It used to belong to an interesting, nice couple: Hannah (Jewish, with a blue – Israeli – ID) and Amer Barakat (Palestinian ID). They have been married for twenty years. But all their applications for family unification have been rejected for years. They have two sons (living with them) and a married daughter (living in Kiryat Yovel, Jerusalem). One son has served in the Israeli Air Force and was already discharged. They tried to live in a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem, but Amer cannot live in Israel and Hannah cannot live in the West Bank. So, they decided to go back to Nabi Samwil to the privately-owned property. They built two little adjacent houses. One demolition order was issued several years ago, and not realized.

Yesterday, at dawn, a convoy of the Civil Administration and Border Police came without a warrant, began demolishing, uprooting trees, rose bushes (people are forbidden to plant anything in Nabi Samwil), Hannah resisted and was beaten up, shackled and arrested. Amer came from work and he wasn’t let near her. They fractured the arm of the son who arrived. Demolition was most aggressive, no time left to get things out, everything was destroyed. Things were stolen as well, including money for the son’s wedding. During the demolition, girl soldiers laughed and the Border Policemen turned on music and danced.

Hannah and Amer erected a tent and slept in it tonight, but the Civil Administration officer threatened that it too would be demolished and forbade them to clear the rubble. It is hard to think of such cruelty when you realize how cold Jerusalem gets in winter nights. The only explanation is that the authorities are determined to expel all these villagers and turn the entire place into a kosher Jewish settlement. When we came, people from the village were bringing the couple food and supporting them. They, too, are determined – no other choice.

When we exited, two cars of religious Jews stood in the inner road leading to the house. We were not sure whether they are just watching or have another intention of taking over.

Raya turned to the Haaretz reporter Nir Hasson and proposed to write about the demolition and the impressive couple, as well as direct attention once more to Nabi Samwil’s absurd situation as a village in a glass cage. He expressed interest, let’s see whether he could publish anything.

Mount Shmuel Checkpoint – we came to see what had changed since we last visited here two months ago. Then they were about to close down the pedestrian checkpoint as well and surround the entire area opposite the entrance to Mount Shmuel settlement with an electronic fence all the way to the main road 436. Note, the Separation Fence passes inside this area, an addition to the Biddu enclave of privately owned fruit groves. Apparently, the war made it easy to close the area opposite the colony.

We only got out to photograph the fence that had been completed – and 3 security guards – one civilian and two soldiers wearing army work clothes (one said he was a paratrooper) jumped at us. They swore – “Get out of here and leave the country”, “Go back to Germany”, “You are not Jews”, “You are leftists and the country is ours, it belongs to Jews”. The ‘soldierized’ man even added, “You are not even Jewish, you wear pants – did your grandmother wear pants?” I wanted to say yes, she was in the “Work Battalion” but even what Natanya tried to say about Jewish morality, the Ten Commandments, enlightened and liberal Judaism was not registered. Yelling continued. Natanya summarized: “With Jews like you, I prefer to be a gentile”. Only then did I manage to get her into the car. Driver Kamal didn’t budge the whole time, and told us he was afraid they would know he was an Arab…

We were shocked. We hadn’t experienced such venom – this too is a product of the war. No doubt Israel’s Pandora’s Box has opened, and no one can control it…