Beit Iba, Anabta

Nablus vicinity 27.9 AMObservers: Herzliya A, Ronny S, Zvia, Edna Beit Iba. 7.45:Heavy traffic of pedestrians and vehicles. Traffic is flowing freely. There is a DCO representative on the spot. About half of the 20 or so detainees are released.Anabta 8.00. The iron gate is closed and locked and on both sides are long lines of buses and taxis. This is the passage from Jenin and Tulkarm to Nablus or Jerusalem and Ramallah. There are no soldiers. Pedestrians pass the gate on foot and mount vehicles which will bring them to the next checkpoint on their way to their destinations.A Palestinian from Sarra approaches us with a request that we come to his village at 6.30 AM and see how long (an hour and a half) it takes the villagers and children on their way to school to exit the village.Beit Iba. 8.30: Traffic is flowing freely and when nobody is left waiting in line we decide to leave for the Jit junction at 9.15. Jit junction. 9.20:A long convoy of vehicles on Road 60. We halt and see the passengers of a bus taken down, made to stand in line while their papers and checked. A father and son (with an anti-pollution face-mask) go through on foot. The boy has to lift his shirt – no, there’s no explosives belt, “just” a scar across his belly (some more superfluous humiliation). A family goes through with two small children and the soldiers let them pass after checking their documents. At the head of the line on Road 60, a pickup truck is detained with containers of oxygen for the hospital in Qalqiliya. At the head of the line coming from Huwwara is an ambulance of the Red Crescent with medical equipment. The soldier says the driver is a terrorist. We telephone the DCO to check and receive a laconic reply: “Security reasons.” We approach Dalia Basa who in her efficient and effective manner arranges for release of the ambulance within 5 minutes and promises that the pickup truck will also be dealt with.While we are standing there, a 4x4 stops on its way to Road 60 and a furious woman settler descends.”Good morning,” I say and she replies: “What’s good about it. Don’t go near the soldiers.” “Am I allowed to worry about sick people?” I ask, and she returned briskly to her car and reports into her mobile phone: “The bitches are here again.”I think to myself: a pity Yom Kippur is over. She could ask for forgiveness….The convoy is released at a faster pace on both sides of the checkpoint.10.15: We leave through Funduk on our way home.