Beit Iba , Shavei Shomron

BEIT IBA, SHAVEI SHOMRON, Wednesday 9 March 2005 AMObservers: Rina Z., Michalina D. (reporting)colour=red>07.50-08.50: The checkpoint was manned by reservists whose respectful attitude to the Palestinians was striking in view of past impressions.Despite the rain and cold, traffic was lively and passage for pedestrians and vehicles was rapid. There were no detainees. Only once, for a few minutes, was a boy detained because there was some powder on his ID card which the soldier who was checking thought might be gunpowder. The commander talked to the boy, checked, and it turned out that the powder was nothing more than some crumbs of food. He was released. Restrictions on movement have been reduced as compared with the situation in the past. People are still required to get out of their taxis and buses and walk several hundred meters in the rain, cold and mud, but at least no passage permits are required for those wanting to go into Nablus and everyone went through after only a rapid check. But youths aged between 14 and 20 needed permits if they wanted to leave the town. There was no change in the regulations for vehicles – entry to Nablus was permitted only for cars whose licence numbers appeared on a list. A taxi driver who arrived from the Jit junction told us there was no checkpoint there today.At Shavei Shomron the road was open. The only difficulty we saw was the 20 minute closing of a section of Road 57 in both directions while a security check was carried out on an empty vehicle, with Israeli licence plates, parked on a track beside the road.