Anabta, Jit, Beit Iba

Anabta – Jit - Beit Iba 31.1 AMObservers: Rachel A, Ronny S, Naomi, Edna M (reporting)Anabta7.30 Usual traffic of taxis, buses and pedestrians on both sides of the roadblock. One of the drivers complained about a problematic unannounced checkpoint at Sarra. Ronny and Naomi report it to us and we decide that we will go there and they wil drive to Beit Iba.7.40 – no such checkpoint at Sarra, but there is one at Jit junction. We go there and leave the car at the roadside pointing west. Rachel and I choose one side of the lookout point each. Rachel sits on the roadside divider facing the north side and I stand beyond the divider facing the east. The line of vehicels from the north is not particularly long and the two soldiers check them meticulously. Beyond the divider are two young detainees. On the east side the line is shorter, two sodiers checking and detaining three vehicels “for crossing the line”, take the passengers’ papers for checking. We phone the DCO and complain to Raad, and the vehicels are soon released. Meanwhile one of the detainees is released. A young man is taken off a taxi and sent to the detainees’ area and the taxi is sent to wait behind our car. We go over to the taxi passengers to check what happened. The driver says the detainee has a referral for medical tests in Ramallah and perhaps its because he’s 24 that the soldier told him to wait. We go over to the detainee and ask to see the referral. It is from an orthopedic specialist in Nablus for an appointment on 31.1.05. I call Dalia Basa and while I’m talking to her a red car appears. A woman gets out and begins to scream: “Traitors, Jew haters” over and over again. Rachel stands calmly with her hands in her pockets and the woman settler tears off her badge. Dalia hears the screams through the telephone and asks what’s going on and promises to deal with the Palestinian’s problem and he asks us to tell the taxi driver not to wait for him.The woman settler continues to pour out her fury on me: “You decrepit old woman, traitor, Arab lover”, and takes out her mobile phone to report our presence and the fact that we’re interfering with the soldiers’ work. She screams “traitors” again and leaves. I tell the taxi driver what the young man said and he drives off. Meanwhile a police jeep arrives with two policemen. They approach the soldiers, who have apparently not complained about us, and then they turn their attention to our car: “Who does the white car belong to?” and threaten us with a traffic ticket if we don’t move it. I ask where I’m allowed to park and tey say we can’t on the roadside in an interurban area. They are from the Kadum police. Now everything is clear to us. Taxi drivers are allowed to park there, the line of waiting cars can park there but we can’t. 9.00 we leave, not before one of the bus drivers comes over and thanks us for our presence.Beit Iba 9.00 Traffic flowing in both directions. No problems. A strange order: Machsomwatch woman are forbidden to stand on the Kuchin side. Ronny telephones the deputy DCO of the brigade who says there’s no such order!!! However, by 9.00 when we left, the commander had not changed the order.9.00 We leave. One detainee waiting.