Irtah and Jubara

Irtah, Jubara: Monday, 6.12.04. AM. Observers: RS, RA, HE, SL (reporting), Guests: DT, RFSummary: Today’s “watch” was a first: a first experience of the new “border” crossing and a first experience of ugly verbal violence from a group of old volunteer soldiers. 6:40 Irtah - Gate 700The gate is nearly deserted and only a bus and a truck are present to remind us that this is now a non-pedestrian crossing.6:45 The TerminalWe make our way back to park outside the brand new, windowless terminal building which is now the “border” crossing. It’s squat and sports five long chimneys (what on earth for)? and looks like a mini-electric power station: the emphasis should indeed be on the word “power.” Inside, it’s as cold as outside; there is no ceiling, instead walkways on which armed soldiers parade back and forth and stare down at people below. Only two of the three “border formality” bulletproof desks and automatic gates are working. It seems a slow morning, and only one Palestinian approaches the desk at a time. Later, we see why. To get to this desk, each person must go through a turnstile which is not visible from where we are. Since there is but one turnstile, slowness is to be expected (or is built in).What greets us are brand-new signs in Arabic, English and Hebrew: “Have a safe and enjoyable stay.” (Maybe the new terminal at the airport had some left-over). A second sign is also visible: “Prepare your documents.” Each worker’s ID and papers are checked. Each permit is now held up to the light to check for forgery.There’s an impromptu meeting of a group of soldiers with a higher ranking officer who’s there to see that the new facility is working: it opened yesterday. A woman soldier, a captain, offers to walk us through the building. From the other side, we see the Palestinian buses parked below, in Tulkarm, outside the tall fence and the long hilly path that the workers have to use to get to the terminal building. Once they enter, there’s not much room, so one can easily imagine a line stretching outside. As it is, the Palestinians, now on line as well as those waiting outside for their rides, complain that their permits are issued for 5:00 until 19:00, and the terminal opens only at 6:30. (The soldiers declare that tomorrow it’ll be 6:00, but that still doesn’t fit with the logic of the all important permit where each hour in Israel counts towards making some sort of living).There appears to be no closure today. There are about 30 vans waiting to pick up the workers. Still, their lives aren’t any easier than they were. From now on, the workers can only enter Israel here, not at Jubara (more apartheid completion)? From now on, Jubara is to be for Israeli Arabs only.7:20 Jubara - On the main road to the checkpoint, there are new signs, warning of “barrier ahead.” True, there’s a bright yellow metal barrier, open and obviously not yet finished, across the main road to Nablus. There’s also new barbed wire in a variety of places round this complex checkpoint. But the welcome from the young soldiers on the way to Abu Ghatem’s coffee is warm. In response to our greeting them with a “good morning,” one replies, “It’s a good morning when you arrive.” What a contrast to the elderly volunteer soldiers, one of whom tries to cosy up to us by saying, “we’re the same age.” Machsomwatch deals with human rights abuses. Today, we experienced the abusive, ugly, macho language of this group of volunteer soldiers. “We’re here to help the soldiers, and you get on our nerves….go and drink coffee, and don’t talk to the soldiers…just stay away from the checkpoint” etc. They’re wearing their old army fatigues (complete with faded felafalim), although one is dressed like a Wisconsin hunter! Everything to them is black and white, they’re good, we’re bad and, adds one, a neighbor of one of our group, “Does your husband know what you’re doing?”This is reported more or less in full since abuse is abuse is abuse. There seemed to be no soldier in charge at the checkpoint this morning, and certainly no one from the DCO office. But somebody has to talk to that office since this is not the first week that such behavior has been witnessed. 7:30 We set out for Beit Iba (see separate report)