'Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Thu 20.8.09, Afternoon

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Observers: 
Maya G.-Z., Yehudit L. (reporting and photographing); Natanya translating
Aug-20-2009
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Afternoon

Two days before Ramadan. A very hot day.

13.50 Tractors work energetically and massively so as to change the ground in the industrial area of Barkan.

13.55 The entrance to Zeita is closed The blocked entrance to Zeita
14.02 Checkpoint of Za'tara. 2 soldiers at the sentry area next to the circle. 2 checking areas for cars from the north are manned, Cars do not stop and there is no pressure.

14.15 Before the checkpoint of Huwwara at the entrance to the parking lot where one pays a blue police car and a policeman takes details from drivers who have been involved in an accident between two cars with orange license plates from Israel.

14.17 Huwwara checkpoint. There is considerable traffic in both directions. 2 soldiers on guard in the direction of Huwwara. Some times a line is formed and then disappears. It is also caused because of commercial vehicles which are sent back and have to return to Huwwara. From there on a crooked road in the direction of Awarta and from there to the checkpoint of Awarta which is the only place where commercial goods cango through because the direct road, the Madison road, is an apartheid road on which it is forbidden for the local people to travel or because a car with Israeli plates has to park in the parking lot at the checkpoint. There are comparatively  many such cars  probably because of the Ramadan holiday.

The checkpoint itself has two manned posts for checking cars. Here too a line sometimes forms from the same reason as given above because of commercial cars which are sent to Awarta or because some other car has been detained as we saw. For some reason the car is not allowed to leave Nablus and has to return. We were too far away to find out why. We did not see a dogtrainer and dog.

14.40 Awarta. 4 trucks from Awarta wait to be checked before entering Nablus.

14.40 Beit Furik.  Few cars. No delays.

The cement sign at the entrance to the checkpoint has undergone changes. At first there is a notice on it: This place is meant for Machsomwatch. The sign has been erased and in its place in colour appears a wolf, after that the mantra of Nachman Meuman is written on it and then again in colour the picture of a geisha ( there is a picture).

The commander who the previous time had explained to us the importance of the checkpoint in preventing harm to the neighboring settlements (Eitemar and Alon Moreh)  and so in fact ratified the fact that this is  the reason for these checkpoints in these areas which are far from the Israeli border. He said that the previous week a powder charge had been found atAwarta. We says that this could have been something sent through by the secret service to test the soldiers.

14.55 At the checkpoint of Awarta 3 trucks from Nablus wait to be checked and from the direction of Awarta is one truck.  On the way back we take note of the lively traffic of cars today.

15.12 At Za'tara a long line of cars. The drivers do not know that there is no checking. One cannot make out that the soldiers are present at the post and to know if it is allowed or forbidden to go through and from habit they wait for orders. We inform the centre of this and received a promise to speak to the DCO so that the drivers should know that it is possible to go through.