Beit Iba, Mon 14.1.08, Morning

Place:

Beit Iba

Observers:

Francis T., Osnat R. Natanya translating.

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Jan-14-2008

Morning

Beit Iba,

07.55 15 cars waiting to enter Nablus mainly because of the apathy of the soldiers who are checking slowly. We spoke to the commander and at 08.10 there were only 4 cars left. At the exit from Nablus, 10 men are waiting to be checked. There is no table for checking belongings and the men put their parcels on the shelf next to the booth before going to the magnometer. This is a very sensitive instrument and it takes 7-8 minutes for 10 people to go through.

08.25 Another checking area is opened for pedestrians. It seems that residents of Qalqiliya were detained to check their IDs. Four people were released after 5 minutes and four others after 20 minutes.

Because of the cold the soldiers are in the booths and when a car comes from Nablus the soldier opens a narrow window, checks his document and sends him through.

Location Description

Beit Iba

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A perimeter checkpoint west of the city of Nablus. Operated from 2001 to 2009 as one of the four permanent checkpoints info-icon closing on Nablus: Beit Furik and Awarta to the east and Hawara to the south. A pedestrian-only checkpoint, where MachsomWatch volunteers were present daily for several hours in the morning and afternoon to document the thousands of Palestinians waiting for hours in long queues with no shelter in the heat or rain, to leave the district city for anywhere else in the West Bank.
From March 2009, as part of the easing of the Palestinian movement in the West Bank, it was abolished, without a trace, and without any adverse change in the security situation.