Beit Iba

Beit Iba Sunday, 09/04/06 PMObservers: Alix W., Aliyah S. (reporting)Guests: Sandrine B., Maya S. 13:40 We entered the territories at the Qalqilyah checkpoint. There was a normal amount of activity there; nothing unusual. There was no rolling checkpoint at the Jit junction. 14:00 We showed our guests the 'lovely' decorated wall at Shave Shomron. Who does it separate from whom? Why is it needed along a road from Nablus to Jenin that has been closed off for many months and probably will not be opened? Where it ends we can't see, but it begins abruptly about half way up the road to Shave Shomron that turns off at Deir Sheref towards Jenin. On the road side it is the ugly concrete slabs that we recognize as the Wall. On the side facing Shave Shomron (and there is no difficulty in simply walking around the wall and viewing it from the other side) it has been decorated partially with expensive stone facing and partially painted blue, green and yellow. Who needs it? And couldn't the government of Israel have done something more productive with the scads of money spent on this ridiculous wall?!!! 14:20 We reached Beit Iba and found it bustling with people in all directions. There were 9 detainees in the holding pen where the gate is stuck, can't be opened, so all detainees have to go over the wall. They are teachers, students and others, all young men. Their story is that they saw the crowded checkpoint and decided to try to go around it, through the hills. They were caught and were being held while the security check was being done. We spoke to Fuad from the DCO who assured us that they hadn't been there for more than about an hour, and that they were being checked. 14:35 Suddenly, a voice was shouting over the loudspeaker in the guard tower, and a siren blared. We looked toward the East, where the road to Qusin leaves an exposed space, and saw several men running; immediately there were soldiers running after them. Whether all or only some were caught we couldn't know, but some more men were brought to the holding pen. Ten minutes later the scene was repeated: the shouting over the loudspeaker, the siren, the soldiers running after some men running across the road to Qusin, a few more men and boys in the holding pen. Fuad, from the DCO, told us his conversation with one student. Fuad: Why were you going through the hills instead of coming through the checkpoint? The man: I saw it was very crowded, so I tried to go around. Fuad: You know it isn't allowed. Man: Well, I tried. The checkpoint was very crowded. The officer in charge complained before us that except for one, the turnstiles were not working properly. "It's more difficult for us, and more uncomfortable for them." He asked if we could complain to the army, and then they might be fixed. He had complained but nothing was done. There were at least four soldiers checking ID cards, and two more were checking bags, but the lines were moving very slowly. There was no computer at the checking window; we were told it's broken. We weren't surprised that the young men were trying to sneak their way around the checkpoint. The loudspeaker, the siren and the soldiers bringing in more young men to the pen were repeated five times while we were there. The soldiers were among the most polite and decent soldiers that we have met. The officer in charge and Fuad from the DCO both spoke to us politely, answered our questions and tried to be helpful. But a checkpoint is always a checkpoint! We left, not happily, at 16:10.