Hawwara, Tapuach & Jit

Hawwara, Tapuach and Jit junctions, Thursday, 23.6.2005 PM.Observers: Edna K. , Eilath B. (reporting)14.25 – Anbata – no checkpoint.14.35 – Hawat Hagaz – no checkpointback to Beth Iba, a separate report, back to Hawwara.14.50 – A message from a driver about a block at Hawwara on the way out from Nablus.15.00 – A message from another driver about a serious congestion at Tapuach, coming from north to south.15.02 – Esti Z. report on a serious incident in Azoun with a bride and bridegroom. We are unable to get there.15.03 - At the Jit junction there is a roadblock for traffic coming from east to west. 14 cars are waiting.15.20 - Hawwara:About 50 people wait to leave. There is no humanitarian queue. No detainees. The x-ray truck is in action.Cars: 13 are waiting at the entrance. 15 minutes for each. At the exit (according to the bus driver) a waiting period of an hour and a half.15.40 – Telephone to Raad. He is on leave but will transmit the message.15.48 – Telephone to the International Liaison and Coordination Administration Bissan, he will check.The holder of a blue Identity Card who is leaving, waits for the "blues". The bus that has been waiting for an hour and a half is leaving. It seems the queue has shortened.15.50 - Driving to Tapuach. Upper Hawware – Border Police. Five cars waiting. No detainees.16.00 – Tapuach:Seven cars waiting for five minutes to go from North to South. There are no blocks for cars going in other directions.After an invigorating talk with two boy soldiers and one girl soldier at the post ("you are watchniks?", "do you hate soldiers?" "so why don't you bring us cold drinks and cakes as the Blue and White Women?", "you are for the separation"?) we return to Hawwara.16.35 - Upper Hawwara: – 8 cars waiting. No detainees.16.40 – Hawwara: – no cars coming from Nablus. Going to Nablus four cars waiting. They pass quite quickly. In the turnstiles about 40 people. No humanitarian queue. No. detainees.A soldiers standing outside the concrete wall of the checking installation, with the barrel of the gun leaning on the concrete, "tickles" the children and mothers in front of the first turnstile, probably feels by trained combat intuition my eyes on his back and asks me how he could help me. I say he could indeed and suggest a different position of the gun barrel. As a reaction to this he calls the commander T. and says I disturb him. Sergeant T. arrives and asks me not to stand there. I ask for his name and he refuses to give it to me. In the end we arrive at a solution: I shall leave the place and he shall ask the battalion commander about the placing and the positioning of his weapon… "This is a question for the battalion commander!". So here is the honourable commander , please tell me: is it necessary for the safety of your soldiers to push a loaded gun barrel into the stomach, chest, eyes and nose of women and children?17.00 - Jit Junction: – 27 cars coming from East to West are waiting. At the beginning of the queue there is a van taxi, all the passengers of, except the driver, are detainees. Other trucks are passing without being delayed.Edna talks to the very motivated soldiers. The commander is lieutenant G. A taxi is being checked. The impertinent driver asks the soldiers why he had to wait such a long time. As a reaction the soldier throws his Identity Card onto the roof of the car. A military van coming from west to east stops for a few minutes and its passengers hang out with the soldiers. Why, what's up, who died? What's so urgent? In this case we are the laughing stock.A phone call to O. the spokesman of the IDF in the west bankHe promises to check.We called Bissan too.The detainees have been released. Some settlers Appear. N. our driver becomes tense so we leave to Beit Iba to collect the other half of our shift.17.30- Jit Junction: – still a lot of cars coming from east to south. Gabi from the humanitarian center explains that there is a special alert at the Jit junction. At the Liaison Administration there is no reply.We regret that we are in a hurry and cannot stay on.