South Hebron: Thursday 16.6.2005, MorningObservers: Yael T’, Hagit B. (reporting) (Paula translating)We left Shoket junction at 6:45 and returned at 10:00 o’clock.I’, our usually gentle and calm driver, was still furious at the soldiers that did not intervene when Michal and Mira were attacked by the settlers in Hebron. What could I say, that in democratic Israel everyone is equal before the law?Turn to Sansana – Workers are waiting for their employees to pick them up. By the CP there are many heavy machines lining up to enter the territories, for the building of the separation walls is in full swing, and there is a parking lot for the machinery close to the CP.Along the roads 317, 60, 356 the never resting bulldozers pile up the barriers with impressive rocks. CP by the turn to Yatir – The soldiers wave us “hello”, and we see that the eastern exit of Samoa is open. “The new millionaires” on their donkeys cross the road to their plots of land. Now is threshing time and the season for sowing of cucumbers and other vegetables. By the turn to Arad we stop to see the run over carrion of some animal on the road and near it a military jeep. In it sits the deputy commander of the Lavie battalion. On the hill two armed soldiers talk with a shepherd. We wave and move on.Tawani – We drink tea in G’s home. His younger brothers welcome us. They inform us that none of the residents of the village can obtain a magnetic card. The General Security Service forbids! We suggested to them to contact the Civil Rights Association. May be that their case could be handled collectively. They also told us that of lately a hummer parks at all sort of hours down the hill and the soldiers detain people. Just as we drive down and Yael remarks, on seeing the dirt mounds, what a pity it is that the people cannot reach their lands with tractors, – a settler, wearing a huge yarmulke, passes us by, driving a tractor. Lord of the land! He can enter wherever he wishes, in the land he does not own. The expansion of the settlement Carmel goes on in full swing. The summer vacation of the children has already begun. There is almost no military traffic. The gate of Zif junction is open.Shiuch-Sair junction (by the school of the girls) – A military jeep, No. 610812, in it two soldiers, parks by the side of Hebron. Two soldiers stand outside, with pointed barrels, towards 10 crouching detained Palestinians by the side of the way. They are from the Sakhlav unit, so they say. They forbid them to stand and shout at them in appalling rudeness. They yell at us too: It’s a closed military area! You are an unrecognized organization! You are not allowed to photograph! All this before we got the opportunity to say “hello”. There are almost no taxis in sight. They detain each passer-by. From far the people are ordered to lift their shirts, to go around, to take off their belts, and only then they are to approach the soldiers and hand over their I.Ds for checking. I have never seen such insolent, humiliating, behavior through all my machsom watch experience. Yael, who rarely loses her temper, cried out: “How dare you speak in such manner to someone who could be your father!” The soldiers realized that they could not frighten us and make us go away. We phoned to who ever we could: The Emergency Unit of the IDF, to Operation Unit of Yehuda Brigade. I kept photographing and kept calling. The detainees said that they were detained for an hour. The soldiers, finally, agreed to let the detainees sit in the shade, throwing to us: “now you will be able to say that you made some difference”. I am convinced that, rather than security reasons, caprices of soldiers determine such behavior. After awhile we thought that perhaps our presence might hinder them from letting the detainees free, and therefore we left. We gave one of the Palestinians our phone number if needed. On our way back they were already freed. Yael got a call from the Palestinian and I got a call from the Emergency Center. (Our phone calls may have had something to do with their release).East Khalkhul – traffic flows. The pillbox is manned.Humanitarian Barrier – The soldiers are occupied with shooting range. The place is deserted.The sheep junction – The yellow gate is closed. Few passing pedestrians. Dura El_Pawar – Large water tankers stand near the water installation. The traffic flows. The pillbox is manned. The dirt mounds are high.The nightmare that will hound me: “The dance” of the people with their shirts held up to the “fiddle” of the soldier with his insolent look, and without scruples.