Sarra, Shavei Shomron, Beit Iba: Sunday, 9.10.05, PM Observers: Lee D., Aliya S., Susan L. (reporting)Summary”The spirit of Ramadan: fasting, feasting, worship and prayer.” In spite of the spirit of the occupation, in spite of mindless, unfeeling soldiers at the checkpoints, on this first afternoon of the winter clock, the sun set on a quiet, serene landscape where the occupying forces were left with near deserted checkpoints, since Palestinians had just one desire: to hurry home to break the fast. And, for us, each checkpoint brought to mind phrases from our own heritage. 13:50 SarraThe swing arm gate is wide open. There are no fluorescent words on boulders telling us, “No enterence.” Those expressions of the occupation are no more. But, newly installed, just a week ago, so we’re told, are big boulders barring entrance to the village itself. Behind these boulders stands a decrepit truck with a water tank and a long, long, many-pieced hose stretching across the dirt path to the cliff and the water pipe above. So, there is now water to the village beyond as well as to another couple of neighboring villages, the driver, together with the other three water trucks, making about 30 trips a day to fill the tanks. But there’s a new form of harassment that’s been fabricated, since the water trucks cannot pass the giant boulders placed across the roadway, so cannot get near the metal water pipe (the one carrying a non-stop water supply to the settlement of Qedumim, a little to the south) without a long, long hose which drips large puddles of wasted water each time it’s unplugged from the tank. We talk briefly to the driver, then walk past him to the village beyond: olives trees bearing no olives, dead ears of corn, dying almond trees, a giant fig tree on its last legs and the sound of chicks, still alive, in a chicken run near the roadway. The setting is beautiful, the harsh reality, grim. The newly built military look out tower on the hillside opposite Sarra sprouts a huge Israeli flag, a Hummer drives at breakneck speed down the hill. “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept.”14:20 Shavei ShomronThere is no progress in occupied territory, but here are often subtle changes, whose meanings are not always apparent. This checkpoint, firmly blockaded just a short while ago, immediately after disengagement in the middle of August, is now partially open, and seems to have acquired the infamous yellow barricade from Anabta! On the side of the road facing the settlement are a mass of boulders still strewn about, but, surprise, surprise, still lying on the ground, is what is recognizable as the eventual top of a military look out tower (as at Sarra, as at Anabta, etc., etc.) Later, we’re asked, at Beit Iba, by some of the locals, whether it’s true that Shavei Shomron checkpoint is about to disappear….An Israeli taxi stops at the checkpoint, two soldiers tell the passenger to get out, ask where he lives: Sebastia. He and his many, many parcels make their way to the other side of the infamous yellow barricade, where he’s told to wait for a taxi to pick him up. As we stand by watching, a Hummer approaches, we’re told by the second lieutenant inside, “put your car at the side of the road.” There’s not another soul or another vehicle in sight! 14:45-16:30 Beit IbaMany people are returning early from Nablus, it’s the first short day of the year, where the clock has “fallen back:” the checking is thorough, what is checked is not of the everyday variety, as people are bringing food for the fast’s conclusion at the end of the afternoon, foods that are creatively packaged in recycled plastic containers, or all kinds of chocolate and sweetmeats. A soldier asks each black plastic bag to be undone, and for the many students he frequently flips through exercise books (what on earth for), and generally makes life difficult.Variety is the spice of life: so, today, a different carousel is working. Repeat: one carousel, the others, as before, are not in use. There’s one detainee, the kind of young man who’s fallen in between the bureaucratic cracks of the Occupation. No ID as his birth wasn’t registered in timely fashion. The commander, again, one with “no name”, except “commander,” is adamant at not problem-solving, but Captain Y., usually at the Huwwara DCO office or checkpoint, is at Beit Iba today, and takes it upon himself to facilitate a solution, telling us, smilingly, that’s his job. At the same time, he wants to show us photos of his family on his cell phone! Two students ask us to help them locate their friend who was taken yesterday, at Beit Iba, and who’s not answered his cell phone since then. They don’t have his ID number, so the Center for the Protection of the Individual can’t help, but they take the Center’s business card promise to find out the ID number of their friend and follow up.15:00 Vehicles: only 8 or so in each direction, approximately three-four minutes each for checking, but the numbers increase during the next couple of hours. As do the problems. At one point, there are six soldiers checking, but the line, especially from Deir Sharaf, gets longer, and the soldiers work slowly and spend a lot of time talking, laughing (at and not with people) and being generally insensitive and uncaring about the fact that people want, no need, to return home for the end of the fast. In the buses being checked, one soldier stands, his gun, not strung across his body, as is usual, but pointed upright with a finger on the trigger. This goes on for every bus or mini bus that passes. Finally, the commander (with no name) is approached by us as he stands at the Qusin junction checkpost. He first indicates that he does the same, then takes the soldier aside, and when last seen, the latter was no longer carrying the gun in the same way . (Who knows what happens when MachsomWatch leaves)! The donkey cart, which provides porterage at Beit Iba, is today carrying all sorts of goodies. At one point, there’s a microwave oven (second or third hand), the soldier insists on opening it. Inside, yet another black plastic bag with more food for Ramadan! The MachsomWatch greeting cards again create a stir: handed out, either by us, or by one of the soldiers checking IDs inside the checkpost. Innumerable interesting vignettes: a soldier inside the checkpost asks if he can choose to whom to give a card. The MachsomWatch answer, “No selection!” One man asks if the phone number on the card can be called. Of course, is the response. Another man asks why the soldiers give out the cards. His friend answers for us, “Why not?” Two young men pass the checkpost, but come back to us, asking if we have more cards, “I want to give one to my mother.” In general, it’s all smiles and thanks yous and “God is great.”At one point, a man carries a bird cage through the checkpost. Inside two fat turtle doves, one male, one female. “And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” (Occupied land).