Tayasir, Hamra, Wednesday, February 22, 2006, PMObservers: Naomi V, Osnat D (reporting)13:45 – 15:40Tayasir, 13:45One car waiting at the checkpoint, on its way into the territories. It is checked briskly. Four cars on their way east are examined thoroughly (so are the passengers), with a magnometer.Two detainees have been sitting on a side for about an hour – this is confirmed by the detainees themselves. According to the soldiers, their permits are forgeries (they were caught upon returning from the Valley). They are waiting for the police to come and interrogate them. At 14:30 the police still had not come.The checkpoint commander passes the Palestinian women, and speeds them up with rude language. We dared to suggest that he speak more politely. At first he said we shouldn’t intervene in his affairs, but later he calmed down and until we left, ran the crossing with relative courtesy and efficiency.Lieutenant A, the District Coordination Officer, talked with us at length with a positive and pleasant attitude. He heard on the radio that MW women would brief the soldiers on the checkpoints. Following our questions about the situation at Tayasir in general, and over the last week in particular (regarding the soldier who was persecuting Palestinians), he claimed that he had not heard about any special events in the last week, and the soldiers at the checkpoint were doing their duty perfectly, without incidents with Palestinians. On the other hand, one of the workers at the checkpoint contended that it was a notorious place. The aforementioned soldier wasn’t there.We left at 14:40 when the traffic was light and flowing.Hamra, 15:05Two cars on their way to Tubas pass quickly.Four to eight cars from Tubas have been waiting for quarter of an hour because of change of shifts. Afterward they are checked superficially and passed quickly.The only soldiers at the checkpoint are from the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Nahal, with no officer or DCO representative.An elderly man arrives on foot on his way from the Jordan Valley to Tubas. He does not have the appropriate papers, but they pass him after giving him a long lecture.A car comes from the Valley on the way to Tubas with two Europeans (Irish) and a Palestinian driver who is an agricultural scientist working with a Palestinian agricultural organization that works with Israelis and Europeans. He is giving the two a tour. They asked us if we are from MachsomWatch: they had heard of us and were very happy to meet us. They passed the checkpoint without problems.We left at 15:40, with traffic flowing and less than before.