Trans.  Judith G

08:40 – Organizing to build a new checkpoint.  The old checkpoint is in the process of being taken down.  Traffic is flowing in and out.  Not many pedestrians.  No detainees.  The soldiers won't answer questions.

The feeling is that we have become a "target", that they are trying to neutralize our activity and our effectiveness by not speaking to us.

9:00 – We leave the area.

 Translation:  Suzanne O.

Za'atra roadblock
7:40 a.m. 

There are four cars at the entrance.

We counted 85 in the queue to exit!!

We went back to the checkpoint.  When we asked, a taxi driver at the beginning of the queue told us he had been waiting for one hour and twenty minutes.  Drivers sound their horns in protest.  Two checkpoints function without delays.  We approached the roadblock commander to ask why there are no reinforcements and he answered that he had called for some.  And, indeed, within minutes another team arrived and they opened a third lane.

A taxi with eight passengers that was detained (for a reason unknown to us - apparently the usual one: "a warning") is sent to the car park, there the passengers are taken out and the taxi is inspected minutely for 20 minutes with the help of the dog.  At the end of all the sniffing the dog leaves its saliva on the taxi's seats.

One of the passengers - labourers on their way to work in Ramallah - told me that he understands the reason for the search but, according to their religion, the dog's contact is an insult.

Edna went over to the dog-handler with a question/grouse: why does she not wipe the dog's saliva off the car seats?  She responded that she usually has a cloth and does clean up, but today she was under pressure...

Beit Furiq roadblock

8:25 

There are eight cars in the queue at the entrance.

There are few pedestrians crossing.

Huwwara

8:40 a.m. 

At this point in time there are about 10 people in the shed for those crossing.

A detainee is in the cell.  We were told that he is a Shabak detainee (‘bingo') and they are waiting for Shabak agents to arrive.  (Before we left a car with Shabak agents arrived but by the time we left they had still not approached the detainee.)

The roadblock commander, N., functions humanely and considerately, this dictates the humane and totally non-aggressive conduct of the soldiers (this might sound like an oxymoron in reference to the existence of the roadblock but that's the way things are).  N.'s humane approach was expressed in a lengthy conversation we had with him, and which we also heard in the estimation of several Palestinian ‘denizens' of the roadblock.

Za'atra Junction

10:30 a.m. 

Traffic is light and there are no queues.

On the way to Qalqiliya

Jit Junction: not a checkpoint (it’s not a Palestinian holiday today – as last week).

Two young women settlers, one playing a guitar, on the hilltop which we have observed is sometimes crawling with young settlers, probably about to take over yet another hilltop!  

15:45 Qalqiliya

A long line of vehicles, 12-15 trucks and cars, waiting to enter Qalqiliya, Israeli cars are checked  to see if they have permits to visit family, Palestinian vehicles not checked at all. No checking of vehicles leaving the city. There is order and method in the way the Border Police work here, smoothly and efficiently.

15:45 -- one touching incident to report on today: one of the soldiers goes over to a donkey cart and his kefiya-headed owner, handing him the soldiers’ surplus bagged sliced bread! 

Summary

"Who's in charge here?" is not the start, or the end, of a feeble

joke but a vivid description of the occupation. It's not only the

continuous humiliation and the endless harassment, but the offhand

manner – gun of course at the ready -- in which the occupier goes

about his business, often creating mayhem but making sure that

accountability is pinned on no one.

12:50 Jubara

Few vehicles going in or out of the checkpoint. Going up the road to

the village, two small, grubby children play with empty cans found on

the side of the road. The game is to place them in a line across the

road (they have learned well what a checkpoint consists of), then to

kick them all over the place, and start all over again. Not a bad way

of describing 40 years of occupation! We notice the distressingly

miserable faces: not a smile can be gotten out of the boy or the

little girl, whose bright, sad blue eyes are heartrending.

13:00 A-Ras

It's lunchtime, the soldiers are relaxed and eating, but at their

posts. There's no checking of the few vehicles that pass to or from

Tulkarm or to or from Jubarra. We decline the invitation to join them

with a cup of coffee!

Gate 753

Lunchtime here too, and to be noted, now in evidence at all

checkpoints we visit, the large red and white sign, in three

languages, indicating that behind it is "Palestine": (indeed, since

the "A" of Area A has been blocked out, in Arabic, English and Hebrew)

13:15 Anabta

This very same sign causes us "trouble" in Anabta. Here a blue

(Israeli) police truck is parked by the military lookout tower, and

two policemen are harassing (no other word for it) particularly

Israeli vehicles (Palestinian Israelis). We stand, as is our wont,

near the central checkpoint, near the lookout tower. The soldiers are

indifferent to our presence, in fact, more or less oblivious to

everything about them. They spend their time, eating, drinking or

chitchatting, often not bothering to man all three checkposts. No

need, the Israeli police is doing all the work, including telling us

that we're "annoying the soldiers." Neither they, nor we, have

exchanged a word! "Go back 50 meters," we're ordered by Abu Aslan

(name tags are mandatory for Israel Police). We wonder if the police

are now in charge of the checkpoint as an open truck, filled with

clean, woolly white sheep and pristine white lambs drives past?

While telling us off, a Palestinian car is waved aside by this same

policeman, and it's clear they don't want us to see what they're up

to.

13:30 -- the same policeman now tells us that he never said "50

meters," but "behind the red sign" (the one in three languages

posted, vertically on a huge concrete boulder by the entrance to the

checkpoint). As the line to Tulkarm grows, from zero to twelve, the

police continue to make us the agenda: "I know who you are, and the

law says…. I don't care about your lawyers and what they say. I will

arrest you." We decline the offer as the first policeman is joined by

his mate, who's been in the police van, probably checking vehicle

licenses against the computer, but we can't see what goes on behind

the lookout tower as we're (almost) 50 meters from it!

When there are no vehicles coming into Tulkarm, the policeman

switches sides (of the road) and interferes with the freedom of

movement of vehicles exiting Tulkarm. The soldiers continue to take

time out, as if having ceded all authority to the police. They drink,

chitchat and wave the waiting vehicles on in their own sweet time.

Sometimes when the soldiers beckon vehicles to advance to the center

of the checkpoint, the police flags them down. It's a mad, mad world,

no, correction, a mad, mad occupation.

13:45 -- the line on both sides grows and grows, up to 16 from

Tulkarm. Cars, usually Palestinian Israeli, but Palestinian too, are

stopped and searched, beneath the hood, in the trunk, but it's

completely random, sometimes on their way to Tulkarm, and sometimes

those leaving Tulkarm, while the yellow taxis just whiz by. On the

other hand, when the police search is over, the policeman gives his

fellow citizens a whacking great thump of camaraderie on the

shoulder…. not granted to Palestinians.

We leave, as it seems there will be no end to the kind of

occupation "games" at this checkpoint today. We're not expecting

genuine "war games" (see Beit Iba report).

The crossings of Ayal and Irtach, checkpoints A-Ras, Anabta

Summary: A strange Sunday not as usual. No pressure and the soldiers who are willing to speak to us also say it is strange. There is less and less dialogue with the soldiers….a blank wall.

Ayal. 7.00  

Usually there are 100s of people at the gate. Angry employers wait outside or give up and leave.  The atmosphere is angry, tense, frustrated and at boiling pitch. The passage opened at 4.00. Unusually 4 posts were manned and not one or two as usual. Most of the workers have already passed and the buses wait for the families of the prisoners going to Ketziyot. Did the phone calls of Orna and Naomi to the commander asking for special measures to be taken to allow them to pass help?

The soldiers refuse to allow us into the spot from where we are we can see the terminal saying that it is a closed army area and we have no right to enter. We protest and go in quickly, size up the situation and leave.  The commander explains that we are not allowed in the area and tells us when the checkpoint will open. We are not sure that they can actually forbid us to enter.

Irtach  7.20

Almost empty and the families of the prisoners are getting into the buses.

A-Ras. The childrens' gate  7.40 

The soldier tries to give us a dig…"Why do the women of blue and white bring us cakes and you not?"

A-Ras Checkpoint.

Hardly any movement on either side. No limitations. The commander says that he also thinks there is less traffic today but does not know why

Anabta 8.15 .

  20 cars at the exit. 

Qalqiliya, 

On the way to Qalqiliya

Jit Junction: not a checkpoint (it’s not a Palestinian holiday today – as last week).

Two young women settlers, one playing a guitar, on the hilltop which we have observed is sometimes crawling with young settlers, probably about to take over yet another hilltop!  

15:45 Qalqiliya 15:45

A long line of vehicles, 12-15 trucks and cars, waiting to enter Qalqiliya, Israeli cars are checked  to see if they have permits to visit family, Palestinian vehicles not checked at all. No checking of vehicles leaving the city. There is order and method in the way the Border Police work here, smoothly and efficiently.

15:45 -- one touching incident to report on today: one of the soldiers goes over to a donkey cart and his kefiya-headed owner, handing him the soldiers’ surplus bagged sliced bread! 

A-Ras, Anabta

Summary

"Who's in charge here?" is not the start, or the end, of a feeble

joke but a vivid description of the occupation. It's not only the

continuous humiliation and the endless harassment, but the offhand

manner – gun of course at the ready -- in which the occupier goes

about his business, often creating mayhem but making sure that

accountability is pinned on no one.

Jubara 12.50

Few vehicles going in or out of the checkpoint. Going up the road to

the village, two small, grubby children play with empty cans found on

the side of the road. The game is to place them in a line across the

road (they have learned well what a checkpoint consists of), then to

kick them all over the place, and start all over again. Not a bad way

of describing 40 years of occupation! We notice the distressingly

miserable faces: not a smile can be gotten out of the boy or the

little girl, whose bright, sad blue eyes are heartrending.

A-Ras 13:00

It's lunchtime, the soldiers are relaxed and eating, but at their

posts. There's no checking of the few vehicles that pass to or from

Tulkarm or to or from Jubarra. We decline the invitation to join them

with a cup of coffee!

Gate 753

Lunchtime here too, and to be noted, now in evidence at all

checkpoints we visit, the large red and white sign, in three

languages, indicating that behind it is "Palestine": (indeed, since

the "A" of Area A has been blocked out, in Arabic, English and Hebrew)

Anabta  13:15

This very same sign causes us "trouble" in Anabta. Here a blue

(Israeli) police truck is parked by the military lookout tower, and

two policemen are harassing (no other word for it) particularly

Israeli vehicles (Palestinian Israelis). We stand, as is our wont,

near the central checkpoint, near the lookout tower. The soldiers are

indifferent to our presence, in fact, more or less oblivious to

everything about them. They spend their time, eating, drinking or

chitchatting, often not bothering to man all three checkposts. No

need, the Israeli police is doing all the work, including telling us

that we're "annoying the soldiers." Neither they, nor we, have

exchanged a word! "Go back 50 meters," we're ordered by Abu Aslan

(name tags are mandatory for Israel Police). We wonder if the police

are now in charge of the checkpoint as an open truck, filled with

clean, woolly white sheep and pristine white lambs drives past?

While telling us off, a Palestinian car is waved aside by this same

policeman, and it's clear they don't want us to see what they're up

to.

13:30 -- the same policeman now tells us that he never said "50

meters," but "behind the red sign" (the one in three languages

posted, vertically on a huge concrete boulder by the entrance to the

checkpoint). As the line to Tulkarm grows, from zero to twelve, the

police continue to make us the agenda: "I know who you are, and the

law says…. I don't care about your lawyers and what they say. I will

arrest you." We decline the offer as the first policeman is joined by

his mate, who's been in the police van, probably checking vehicle

licenses against the computer, but we can't see what goes on behind

the lookout tower as we're (almost) 50 meters from it!

When there are no vehicles coming into Tulkarm, the policeman

switches sides (of the road) and interferes with the freedom of

movement of vehicles exiting Tulkarm. The soldiers continue to take

time out, as if having ceded all authority to the police. They drink,

chitchat and wave the waiting vehicles on in their own sweet time.

Sometimes when the soldiers beckon vehicles to advance to the center

of the checkpoint, the police flags them down. It's a mad, mad world,

no, correction, a mad, mad occupation.

13:45 -- the line on both sides grows and grows, up to 16 from

Tulkarm. Cars, usually Palestinian Israeli, but Palestinian too, are

stopped and searched, beneath the hood, in the trunk, but it's

completely random, sometimes on their way to Tulkarm, and sometimes

those leaving Tulkarm, while the yellow taxis just whiz by. On the

other hand, when the police search is over, the policeman gives his

fellow citizens a whacking great thump of camaraderie on the

shoulder…. not granted to Palestinians.

We leave, as it seems there will be no end to the kind of

occupation "games" at this checkpoint today. We're not expecting

genuine "war games" (see Beit Iba report).

Translation:  Suzanne O.

Atara
There is a long queue of cars but, as only a few here and there are inspected, the crossing is quick.  The big question, which returns over and over again when observing here, is what ‘security' or other consideration created the plan for installing another roadblock, in addition to the hundreds of others installed all over the West Bank, at the entrance to Ramallah!

Huwwara

For how long?  An unknown hand has written on the wall by the lock-up.  And, indeed, for how long?

The queue is very short - at times the roadblock is totally empty.  Those crossing put it down to the olive picking season - is it really?  The major change is that men do the physical inspection of men.  All of the checkpoints are staffed by Military Policemen - perhaps the Military Policewomen have taken Saturday off?!  A manual check is also made, from top to bottom, in addition to the use of electronic equipment to check people.

There is one computer at the roadblock - and from checkpoint to checkpoint I.D. numbers are shouted out to the only computerised position.  "We don't have the money", of course.  ‘Native-born time' (Amira Hess's expression) is not appropriate for the required expenditure to install another mobile computer and to reduce the humiliation of this worthless procedure.  In spite of the swift crossing we hear a lot of curses from those coming and going - and it is easy to identify with them.

The very few vehicles cross into Nablus without hold ups, compared to the very slow crossing from Nablus southwards.  The dog and the dog-handler "the most secret" are active and of course it is forbidden to photograph what they do "the secret security".

There is an explicit request from the drivers for the installation of toilets and an awning in the car park.  To use the toilets on the north side of the roadblock requires re-crossing the roadblock - the men are able to find a solution but what about the women?

Beit Furiq

There is a young man, handcuffed and blindfolded, in the lock-up.  We were unable to approach to find out details.  He appeared to be suffering and, shortly after our arrival, a soldier went over to him and loosened the handcuffs a little.  Many telephone calls to find out what is happening did not achieve anything - and when we left about an hour and a half later the young man was still in the lock-up.  At 2:00 pm., the Centre claimed that he had been released - but as we know the information they have is not always correct.  Without direct contact with the man it is impossible to find out anything.

There is a constant stream of cars and pedestrians in the direction of Nablus.  The crossing is smooth.  The soldiers refuse to speak to us and their behaviour towards the Palestinians is degrading.

Good news:  Osama, the coffee vendor, has received an Identity Card and the ever-present threat of deportation has been lifted.