Tayasir, Za'tara (Tapuah), Sun 24.7.11, Afternoon
The settlers from Maskiyot keep abusing and taking advantage of the Bedouin who live at the foot of the settlement. This time they stole a cow in daylight as one of the daughters of the family watched them. They returned it only when the police intervened. This is another link in the chain of abusive attacks that have the goal of banishing the Bedouin who live near the settlement. (They were, of course, living there before the settlement was founded.)
13.20 Zatara Junction– The passage in every direction is open without any inspection. There is one soldier in the guard tower of the junction.
14.00 Hamra CP– very thin traffic. The heat is over 40 degrees Centigrade. Those arriving from the west (the West Bank) are forced to get out of the car which is to be inspected. Wait time is about five minutes. The cars entering the A area are not inspected, and they have practically no wait time in a queue. We met Daphna and Tal who were with the journalist from Haaretz. Daphna told us that on Thursday she waited for an hour and a half with Palestinian tractors until they opened the Guchiya gate, where they were now going (see below).
When we passed near the Guchiya gate, at 14.55, five minutes before it was supposed to open, the gate was closed and in front of it there was a tractor loaded with sheep (we did not see the woman and the baby that Daphna relates to because they were in the driver's cabin).
15.15 Tayasir CP– They let vehicles through from one side at a time and in the meantime, the vehicles on the other side have to wait. Most of the vehicles in the Valley do not have air conditioning and the heat is often 40 degrees and over. Here, too, those coming from the west get out of the cars and go through the inspection on foot.
15.45– a visit in the Kadri encampment at the foot of the hill of the Maskiyot settlement:
adri is away because his old father is in the hospital in Nablus. His wife and four of his children were in the tent. They told us that three days ago the settlers of Maskiyot stole a cow from his brother's herd, in daylight, with one of the daughters of the family watching. A similar incident took place a month ago. The cow was returned to the encampment only after they called the police.
:Addendum to the Report
Daphna Banai (reporting), Tal Haran. Guest: Alon Idan (journalist from Haaretz)
At 14.50 M. from Hadida called us. He has been at the Guchiya Gate for five minutes with his wife and his nine month old son. He asks us to call the DCO and to ask them please to open the gate a little early because the baby has a high temperature and they are on their way to Tamoun to the doctor.
We called the DCO and we laid out our request, even though it was clear that there was not a chance that they would open the gate early. It has never happened, so why should it happen now? We were close by and we arrived in less than five minutes. The tractor and the passengers were on the side of the Valley and they waited for the soldiers to come and open the gate so that they could go to the West Bank. The tractor had a cart attached to it with about 15 sheep. The baby looked faint from the heat, but he became lively very fast, examined us with great interest and waved his hands. The mother and the baby sat on the tractor and since it was very hot, I offered them a place in the car with air conditioning. The mother said that the difference between the heat outside and the low temperature of the air conditioner would only cause the child to be even more ill and she would rather stay outside.
Again, as three days ago, the soldiers did not arrive. The heat was inhuman and we were roasted together with the people waiting to reach a doctor.
15.25– The jeep arrived and the gate was opened. After the family went through we drove a short distance from there. At 14.35 we passed again near the gate, which, although it was supposed to be open for half an hour according to the agreement between the army and the Red Cross (from three to three thirty), was locked again and there was not a single soldier to be seen.