Eliyahu Crossing, Habla, Huwwara, Shomron Crossing, Wed 4.5.11, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
13:05 Habla
The gate opens on time. The bus with the girl pupils crosses after inspection by a soldier and a female MP. Donkey and horse carts, and a few Palestinians. A boy on a donkey, without a permit, is detained. He came this morning with his father, and he doesn’t have a permit. After a short conversation with him, they let him through.
Very hot and muggy.
13:00 Eliyahu crossing – Traffic flows without delays.
13:40 Izbat at Tabib – Unfortunately, the head of the village isn’t home. His family hosts us. His daughter speaks English, and says: Monday night the family had foreign guests. Soldiers showed up at 4 AM and made everyone get out of the house and stand outside in the cold. One of the soldiers asked the guests, “Do you speak English?”
Answer: “A little; why do you ask?”
Soldier: “Shut up. I’m in charge here, I decide, I have a gun.”
She doesn’t have many details about what occurred in the village.
We leave phone numbers and say goodbye to this pleasant family.
15:00 Za’tara/Tapuach junction – We meet P., from Akraba, who must sign a power of attorney. Two armed soldiers appear immediately to see what’s going on. Who are you? Who’s he? What’s going on? Etc. I tell him we’re meeting a friend. They peek over P.’s shoulder to read what’s in the document he’s holding. We hurry to leave and see that P. hadn’t signed the power of attorney. On the way to Huwwara we meet again to get his signature, this time not in the soldiers’ presence.
15:05 Huwwara – Soldiers watch from the towers. An armored vehicle in the parking lot. No inspections at the crossing. All the vehicles are Palestinian, no Israeli license plates.
We ask at the falafel stand where was the school that YNET reported had been burned on Tuesday.
16:30 Shomron crossing – We’re stopped for questioning. They take the passports of our two guests, and our ID cards. We’re told to park off to the right and asked who our guests are, what are they doing in Israel, where were we, what did we do, did we get out of the car. We say that we showed Samaria to our friends. The students have to go over to the inspection booth. Ten minutes later the passports and ID’s are returned, and we continue on our way home.