Beit Iba

Beit Iba, Thursday, 6.10.05, PMObservers: Edna K., Mor G., Roni K. (reporting)14:00 – Jit JunctionA military “hammer” blocks the road from the north; 2 trucks and one car in line.14:10 – Shavei ShomronThe way to Jenin is closed: cement blocks are strewn on the road on one side, and a yellow gate blocks it from the other side (Jenin direction). Our arrival seems to cause two soldiers who are placed there to open the gate for 2 cars waiting there, one from the UN and the second from the Red Cross. Question: Why this road, a main artery for a whole population, is still closed?Beit IbaThe atmosphere in Beit Iba is less tense than we expected, in the face of the recent events. Long lines of cars; the inspection of one line blocks the movements of all the vehicles coming from the other directions. We were witness to at least 2 cases in which the inspection of buses froze the traffic entirely, especially small cars, and caused long lines and distress. The soldiers were unusually communicative.14:15A rather long line of cars at the entrance. From far away, the checkpoint looks “empty”, that is, only movement of individuals. We remain in the entrance area, next to the empty kiosks of Ramadan, and talk with people: about the fast, about the shooting of the previous week, which were near the inspection station for vehicles (not at the big checkpoint), about Mutlak, the injured taxi organizer, who is in the hospital, and about the hours of closure of the checkpoint. Here they tells us that the checkpoint closes at 18:00, according to the clock which has already changed, and whoever comes after that is forced to wait until a soldier comes and either permits or doesn’t permit passage. Later we meet A., the DCO representative, and a few soldiers. They say the checkpoint closes at 20:00.14:30We enter the checkpoint and notice the line of vehicles waiting at the entrance when we came has finally disappeared. At the checkpoint, as we said, there is only light movement and Mor, who came here at the beginning and saw the previous changing of the shifts, says that the soldiers seem relaxed, even a bit cheerful, and wished all the passers-by an easy Ramadan fast.14:40The drivers of vehicles exiting Nablus complain about a wait of an hour. A. from the DCO claims it isn’t more than half an hour.14:50A bus from the Tanib company with students from A-Najah, all male, is detained for inspection lasting 10 minutes. Everyone gets off for inspection. They claim they had waited earlier, at the exit, for about half an hour.15:00The bus is let on its way.15:10Suddenly, within minutes, a long line is formed of vehicles at the entrance. The reason: again a bus whose inspection stops all progress. We complain to the soldiers, who answer that, since there isn’t a separate line (why not?) through which light vehicles could travel, there is no solution.15:15A car with gas tanks which was waiting to leave Nablus is sent back – it turns out that there is such an order.15:30The soldiers at the inspection station for vehicles concentrate only on inspection of the vehicles entering – there are nine – and since this is done slowly, a long line is formed in the opposite direction. The answer we get this time is “lack of personnel”.15:35 Perhaps our complaints help a bit, since now the inspections are also being done on the opposite side, this time another bus with a mixed group of passengers. Out of all these people, who are left sitting on the bus, one female is taken off, a student in traditional dress, who is sent to the inspection station at the checkpoint itself. She walks quickly, with a green ID card in her hand as requested, and we are amazed; what did she do? There is something disturbing in this selection of one person, and indeed the girl returns in five minutes, looking totally humiliated, and without a word she returns to the bus which leaves…Since the soldiers themselves said there was a mistake, we suggested that they apologize, but such a concept of a similar apology doesn’t seem to exist here. All this time there is light traffic of pedestrians, no serious delays.15:45It is clear to us that the pedestrian traffic is constantly increasing, now that people are beginning to return from work. Nevertheless, we decide, after consultation with Naomi, to continue to Huwwara and Beit Furik from where there are unpleasant reverberations coming from the woman who are on shift there.