Hawwara North

Huwwara north, tuesday, 11.1.2005, AM Observers: Lirit L, Yona A, Tal A, (reporting) When we arrived at 8.15, there were 3 detainees who said they’d been there an hour. The DCO officer said it was less and if no answers were received after an hour, they would be released. The detainees claimed they were not allowed to exit Nablus and work. One said he was from Balata and that was why he was being detained.8.15 – IDs were returned and they were sent back to Nablus although they pleaded to be allowed to go through, but he gave them advice: “Tell your neighbors at Balata to stop maing trouble,” or “Start selling clothes at the checkpoint”. They left for Nablus and we told the commander that if he’d let them through, there would be less frustration. He told us we’d never understand because we’re from Tel Aviv.The soldiers told us the easing of restriction were for entry into Nablus but not for those exiting. Anyone without a permit and undr 25 is sent back.A woman dog trainer is leading her dog which sniffs six large sacks of merchandise. When it barks, the sacks are torn open and emptied out. They contain dozens of pairs of jeans.A young man who wants to go to Ramallah to bring his passport on his way to Jordan is detained and sent back despite his permit since the woman soldier claims she recognizes him as having tried a different excuse yesterday.The 2nd lieutenant stands on the path between north and south and stops young men from the south who look suspicious. He calls over a young man from the Dir-el- Kabalia refugee camp and starts interrogating him as to whether he knows about some trouble yesterday. When the man denies it, he calls him a liar. I ask him to stop harassing him, which he does, but takes the young man’s ID for checking.We complain to the 2nd lieutenants that people are detained twice – at the north and the south, and A. says there are eased restrictions at the south so that he has the right to check anyone he chooses. We call the division to complain. A woman soldier who says she’s in charge of the military policemen also tries to tell A. that detaining the young man is unreasonable but the officer insists. He receives orders from the south checkpoint to detain a young woman who went through with an Israeli ID. The soldiers can’t identify her.He says: Never mind, we’ll catch her when she comes out of Nablus.