Rihan, Tuesday, March 28, 2006, PMObserving and reporting: Mara and Shula; visitor from Holland: Ilana15:30-17:15As usual, the pedestrian CP is empty. Only a few people went through in both directions while we were there (almost two hours). A few women students were going home to villages in Wadi Ara from their studies at the University of Nablus.Vehicle CP: an atmosphere of nervousness and very many cars – this is unusual. About 15 cars were waiting to go through. It has been a long time since we saw a queue as long as this. Each car was forced to wait for inspection for about 45 long minutes. At their side, on a lane preserved for the hastening conqueror, military cars and the cars of Jewish settlers flew by.A commercial vehicle stood at the CP, with its goods on the ground. Every object was inspected with great care. Even though there were enough soldiers to do this, they did not let the private cars go through while the inspection was going on. In the parking lot nearby, two more trucks loaded with vegetables and meat were waiting for passage. One of the drivers told us that they had been there since 1300. They were still waiting when we left, two hours later.,p>The CP commander and a woman soldier from the military police explained the high-toned rationale for keeping the commercial vehicles waiting: First of all, they want to reduce the car queue (which is constantly filling up) and then they will have time for the trucks…. It takes more than an hour to inspect them anyway … The District Coordination Office representative said that he would find out what can be done, but he did not seem particularly concerned about the situation.Among the soldiers manning the vehicle CP there were two women soldiers from the military police, the likes of whom we have not seen in a long time. One of them yelled rudely at a young fellow from Barta’a, who tried, in a very submissive tone, to convince her that he was not lying. “I’m talking to you nicely!” she yelled at him threateningly. “Bring your ID and go to the parking lot! Don’t try to trick me! I saw you get this money!”Insofar as we could understand it, this is the story: She “caught” him getting money from somebody (the fellow did not deny that) and she was not willing to let him take it through with him. He claimed that this was a payment that he had come especially to receive. We could not figure out what threat to security there was in this incident, but what do we understand? The local people were angry and gave the two women soldiers, whom they know (especially the one who yells all the time) sarcastic compliments. Later a taxi driver yelled at her in disgust (and courageously it must be said) when he could not open the cover of the motor that got stuck and he was stressed out: “I don’t like you, ok?”Another taxi driver was sent back to the parking lot to unload 9 formica panels for the desks of pupils at school. This was a commercial quantity for which there was no arrangement with the DCO or the army, and that is why the transport was blocked.