Tarqumiya, South Hebron Hills and Hebron, Tuesday 12/12/2006, AMObservers: Shlomit Th, Hagit B, (reporting). Guests:Eli and Ella, students from Sapir College 6:45 – 11.00 Eli and Ella, students from Sapir College , joined us. They are doing a comparative study on the way children from the territories and those from Israel perceive peace – in other words, if any possibility remains that there can be any kind of correct neighbourly relationships in this area. That was why today’s shift, focused on visits to the schools. But, just as on every shift, it is impossible not to see the terrible extent of how freedom of movement is restricted – and every time I take guests who see it for the first time, I am astounded by how much I seem to have adjusted to it.Route 60 Meitar Crossing – three workers who crossed too quickly are still there. Samoa – blocked from all directions – all the Palestinian taxis are covered in dust and women are clambering in the dusty channels of the road. Dora Al-Fuar – The soldiers came down from the pillbox, and are in position at the checkpoint. They are stopping any vehicle that crosses Route 60 – without making passengers alight – just examining each vehicle – and the line from the direction of Fuar actually extends into the village. It is 7:10 in the morning – the place is bustling with children on their way to school, people on their way to the city to begin a day’s work. This is how appointments at the clinic get postponed, how people are late for work, how lessons do not begin on time. But the soldiers persist on their careful routine inspections. I have not seen them giving people the runaround like this for a long time – they are painstakingly doing their military work without any consideration, however, also without any coarseness or guns pointed at people. Now at the time of writing this report, I hear that they arrested 50 men in Dora during the night – perhaps that explains the situation at the checkpoint today. Sheep Junction – Pedestrians are crossing the road from both directions and there is no army presence. Shiuch – Hebron – a jeep of the blue police is waiting at the junction to hand out reports – but in neither direction did we see any Palestinians alongside the jeep. Route 35The Humanitarian Checkpoint – there is a firing range alongside the military checkpoint and the gate is closed. Halhoul Bridge-Hebron The traffic is flowing – but here, also, the soldiers came down from the pillbox and were stopping cars passing from Hebron in the direction of Halhoul from time to time. There were no detainees – perhaps it is just a daily exercise to keep the boredom at bay.Idna –Tarqumiya – the pillbox is manned and traffic is flowing freely. We did not go to Tarquimya Checkpoint because we met bus drivers who were bringing families coming to visit prisoners. They said that today there were six buses and they had crossed without any problems –by 9:00 they had all crossed. Three of the buses were from Bethlehem and were going to Qetziot Prison and three buses from Hebron were on their way to Nafta Prison. Routes 356-317 Hardly any traffic at all – Ziff Junction was open- the whole area seems like it is abandoned. Khirbat Tawani- a half hour visit to the school and conversations with some of the children – instructive to see how the children react to their military escort each morning- the army seems like their saviour and the settlers are the embodiment of evil. In their place, that is how I would feel.A disgusting awful story from HebronAt the Pharmacy Crossing when we arrived at 07:45, there was a whole group of the blue police, three army jeeps, soldiers who seemed to be frightened, shouting Palestinians, an Israeli ambulance, a security person from Kiryat Arba with tefillin still on his forehead. A group of Peace workers and the car of a settler who was dressed in the usual long skirt. A young child of about five or six was in the centre of the disturbance, standing and staring with wide eyes. All the soldiers with their guns surrounded him. Apparently there had been a traffic accident. The settler who knew perfectly well that at this time the children are on their way to school was traveling at speed and hit the child. The father arrived almost immediately and the police detained him in order to get details. There was no one comforting the little boy. The ambulance came, the MPs came, details were being written, and the little boy just stood there. It was only when we came and I held the child’s hands that I could feel just how terrified he was- there were no physical injuries but there was all the state of confusion and terrible fear. Who knows what emotional damage was caused- everything was so mechanical, and only the emotional reaction of the child was not even considered. After some time, he was taken into the Israeli ambulance to travel to Gross roundabout where there is a checkpoint, and there a Palestinian ambulance was waiting to take him to “Alia” Hospital. The father at least by this time was with him, holding and comforting him as it should be. Our job was finished. But what is this all about? Why are there these checkpoints? Why cannot the Palestinian ambulance come straight away? And why cannot the settler see that every child is just a child? And why travel there at such a speed when children are crossing the road- I just said to myself what would happen if it had been the other way round… but that cannot happen because the other way round there is an apartheid road. Tarpuach junction- Coming down from Tel Romeida, there is a woman whose legs are painful so she is walking slowly- I saw her from the distance and went to help her down the slope. From my limited Arabic, I understood that she is sick and wants to get a taxi to take her to the hospital- but what then? It is impossible because the apartheid roads and checkpoints make it so. Eli speaks Arabic, so with her help, we ask if she wants to wait while we organize this or would she prefer that we help her to get slowly to the checkpoint. She says she cannot go that way because there is a step and she cannot manage it. We arrange with the soldiers that she will cross by the side gat which they open for her- and escort her across the checkpoint- and from there another Palestinian helps her to the taxi. But why, oh why, cannot a taxi or ambulance get there? Because of 500 crazy and wild people? A visit to Cordova School . Eli and Ella talk with the teachers and the children. It is hard for them to believe that there are Israelis who are different- not like the settlers- but they already have met us from MachsomWatch and we are treated to cups of hot tea. End of the report and the shift- but not the end of the terrible feeling of shame that filled my heart today…