Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Wed 22.4.09, Afternoon

Natanya translating.

1430 Za'tara crossroads about 22 cars from Nablus.

14.45 Huwwara.
When we got to the parking lot there was a traffic jam at the entrance.
Two checking posts and about 20 people in each line. A soldier turns with an arrogant tone to a man wanting to come up to the window and said to him," Go back ...take off your belt and your bag." There were no detainees  or at least we could not see any at the distance where we were standing. Taxi drivers who tried to hide from the blazing sun under two small shelters and also those exiting from the cage where there is no sheltered area and we also have none.
A woman soldier went up to an elderly woman standing at the shed who was still further from the line shouted at her, " Don't you stand here, Do you understand me?"
A man tells us that his daughter and grandchild had been in line and the girl had forgotten the ID and were sent home. The girl is registered in the woman's ID but was still not allowed to pass. 
A soldier comes out of the passage of those entering Nablus and delays a taxi driver who had been trying to get passengers. The soldier caught him by the hand and dragged him to the isolation. 5 minutes later he was freed on condition that he brought his ID. He told us that he has three children and a son in hospital and that he did not want any problems.  After a few minutes another driver is hunted down Then the soldier came and called him and another driver was also added to the isolation.
15.30 A fairly long line of cars at the exit of Nablus.
 
15.50 Beit Furik. 
Cars entering and exiting Nablus are checked?! Why all of a sudden. At the entrance to Nablus one car is checked and two wait. At the exit one is checked and 5 wait.
 We were shouted at from the sentry tower and Hamdan had to move his car and park next to the Madison road. A soldier came up and demanded our IDs saying that he wanted to be sure that we were Israelis and not spies. Racheli asked him is he was the commander and when he replied that he was not said that we have no reason to give him our IDs. He said in a very inflammatory way that we would go and make sarcastic remarks about our actions. The commander arrived and asked us to move the car as it was being a nuisance standing on the Madison road. Racheli explained to him that we always stood there and this had been so for some years and asked for an explanation why cars were being checked. No explanation was given.

16.00 Huwwara.
6 cars exit Nablus. Two checking posts. No dog and there is an x-ray machine. The checking takes a few minutes. A bus stops at the entrance to Nablus and the passengers get out and drag their children and parcels in the heat and go to the pedestrian passage.
The empty bus turns round and drives off. At the entrance to Nablus on the cement blocks is written in red letters the number of the DCO office to which people could phone for help.
A bus stops at the exit to Nablus and here too the passengers alight. The soldiers get in. The passengers wait and the soldiers check. In the meantime it is terribly hot and the time of waiting is about half an hour.

17.00 Crossroads of Za'tara.
15 cars fomr both directions. We went on to Azzun Atma