Hebron Hills, Thursday 20/10 2005, AMObservers: Edna S , Elena L (reporting) 6:45. – 10:15. Summary:Route 317 has been closed to Palestinian vehicles going south from the Zif junction. To the North of Zif it is open. The children from Umm Tuba came to school at Tawani without an arny escort and by the long route (1 1/2 hours walk). Yesterday (19/10) they didn’t come to school at all. A 12- year old girl from Tawani has been removed from school because her father is too poor to pay her fees. An intensified military presence was observed in most of the usual CPs and in rolling CPS. But very little military traffic was seen on the roads.Before Meitar on route 60 there was a blue police barrier of spikes. Cars were being checked. There were no detaineesSansana: No Palestinians were detained and no workers preparing to work on fence were observed Route 317-particularly high dirt barriers (double the height they were yesterday according to our driver I.) were observed on either side of the road.The children from Karmil and Susiya– on route 317 we overtook the tractor pulling the cart full of kids from Karmil and Susiya to school in TawaniTawani School: The removal of the army escort which has already been reported by MW ( also in Haaretz of 19/10 and 20/10 as well as Y net) continues: the childrem from Umm Tuba came to school alone and by the long way (an hour and a half’s walking in each direction). We met the teachers as they arrived at the school and they said that yesterday (19/10) the Umm Tuba children had not come to school at all A twelve year old girl cant go to school because her father hasn’t enough money to pay the fees. We met the child F. on the path winding up to the school and a teacher later confirmed what she told us. Up to age 12 the kids go to school in Tawani and thereafter they are sent to school in Karmil –fees are required in both schools. F. has siblings in Tawani school (she herself should be going to Karmil). Later on at the Shiyukh Hebron crossing Edna met a group of school inspectors and told them about F. They said they had never heard of the case but would look into it. But we both had our doubts whether F’s wish to go to school would would be granted. Zif Junction and the closure of part of route 317: The turn-off to Yatta is closed and on route 317 there is a temporary roadblock. Soldiers wee checking vehicles coming in both directions. There were no detainees. The soldiers told us that Palestinian cars could travel north of the roadblock but not south. The soldiers had never heard of MW and when we explained the purpose of our organization, one of the soldiers gave us a small leaflet “which we always carry with us and which guides our behavior”. The leaflet lists the ‘values which should guide the behavior of an IDF soldier”. When we were back in the car we read it and saw that it talks mainly about discipline, loyalty and the army’s being under the control of the civil authorities; there was one paragraph only which mentioned the duty of “respect for all human beings” (Edna has the leaflet) . Both because the soldiers had not heard of MW and as return gift for their leaflet we gave them MW’s “Letter to the soldiers”. It is worth noting the lack of awareness revealed in one of the soldiers whose face was masked and who told me that this was because he usually worked in the villages disguised as an Arab ( he was either pulling my leg or he really didn’t want his face to become known while he was temporarily working on the CPs). When I said that the manner of speaking in commands often adopted by soldiers (Ruh! Etc) was not appropriate, especially when addressing people older than the soldiers themselves, he replied: “But that is how they talk among themselves! When I enter a house you should hear how the mother speaks to the children –always in commands.” I replied that even if this were true it was irrelevant since the children would never speak to their parents like that. The soldier’s silence after this exchange shows he had never before thought of the implications of the age difference between conquerors and many of the conqueredSair East Halhul: The crossing was closed to vehicle going in the direction of Halhul. In addition a flying CP of cement blocks had been set up on route 60. Soldiers were checking the cars going through. They were also checking the contents of trucks (but without making the drivers unload everything) . There were no detainees and movement through the CP was fairly quick. A Palestinian pick up truck, which was on its way to carry our repairs in the water system, came from the south and was not made to wait in line but was checked at once and then sent on its way.The Humanitarian Gate: It was active today because the crossing to Hebron via Sair and Halhul was closed. We saw an ambulance arriving from the direction from Hebron which was passed through quickly. The CO of the CP on route 35 –near the Humanitarian gate told us that he had posted a man next to the gate whose sole job was to check ambulances through quickly. There were not very long queues in both directions on route 35 and in one of them there was an ambulance whose red light was not on. The driver confirmed to us that it was empty. The cars and trucks in the queue took about 10 -15 minutes to get through:Halhul- Hebron bridge was open to trafficWe didn’t continue to Idhna CP because of lack of time Sheep’s crossing: Open to pedestrians – no soldiers on the ground.Dura –El Fawwar Crossing: closed to vehicles. On route 60 where there had been a roadblock of spikes there was now a barrier of cement cubes and soldiers – who had been taken straight out of a squad co’s course, were checking the vehicles passing in both directions. There were no detainees. The soldiers had heard of MWOn the way back in the direction of the turn-off to Tene on route 60 we say a bulldozer looking for breakthroughs in the first barriers and 2 army jeeps protecting it – one in front and the second from behind.Near Carme entirely new dirt barriers along the sides of the road were observedRamadin CP – the soldiers check vehicles moving in both directions – but there are no queues of any size. Pedestrians were observed going towards Dahariya and there were no detainees