Beit Iba Jit

Beit Iba, Jit Junction, Sunday, 20.05.07 pmObservers: Aliya S., Alix W., Susan L. (reporting)Summary"The spirit of the commander prevails" is the English translation of an article that appears in today's Haaretz. The news feature is about an adviser to Amir Peretz, an adviser who understands that under today's military rule the policy of the State of Israel is shackled to the "spirit of the commander…. stronger than anything else." To which we must heartily agree! 15:00 Beit IbaFrom the start of our shift here, we note the paucity of vehicles, few taxis parked at the entrance to the checkpoint, not many pedestrians, other than students, crossing. Even the entire vehicle line from Nablus can be seen from where we normally can never see the end. As we arrive at the vehicle checking area, the sergeant there complains, immediately, about our taking photos -- we cannot do so, it's not allowed, etc. More leniency at the central checking area where A., a second lieutenant, well known to us, is in command, although his soldiers are from a different platoon than the usual. Bags are no longer checked with the "touch and feel" method, but are checked with a hand held magnometer; the soldier at the bag checking table, as well as the soldier at the central checking area, don't have their guns pointing non stop, as in past weeks' observations. One detainee, but we can't find out why he's detained, "I can't say," is what we're told. He is let go half an hour later. A Zelda, seemingly devoid of soldiers inside, stands parked on the side of the road near the central checking area. The filth at the checkpoint continues to grow apace.15:25 -- a white van, with yellow Israeli license plates, bears a dog, muzzled and its keeper. The dog lies down, resting from the heartless heat at the vehicle checking booth. It wakes after fifteen minutes, but is still not "working." The dog keeper and the soldier in charge of the vehicle checking area talk and talk, keeping the few vehicles, coming from Deir Sharaf, waiting. From Nablus, there are only four vehicles at this time: we've never seen it so empty. 15:50 -- the contents of one of the porter's carts are overturned. Bags of clothing and other odds and ends lie strewn on the ground, ready for the dog to sniff and slobber over. The dog keeper hovers over dog and human contents lying forlornly on the ground until the ?dog's duty is done. Two young men gather up their belongings from the dusty, middle of the road where this disgrace occurs, and repack their bags. At this moment, the sergeant comes up to us, again complaining about photos, and this time telling us that "Dogs are like soldiers" (meaning that they also can't be photographed!) He demands to see our identity cards (we refuse); he says he will call the police (we invite him to), and he calls on his field phone to A., the commander, who's at the main pedestrian checking area. As A. comes over to the vehicle checking area, we go to meet him. He immediately sends the sergeant away, asks to see the photos, with which he sees no problem, and tells us, "I don't care if you take photos, or if you take soldiers' faces… it's a personal problem if they object… but dogs are the secret of the army" (what that means is beyond us).16:00 -- as we leave the checkpoint behind, walking towards the kiosks, the dog keeper comes up to us, dog in tow. "You took photos of me" she accuses us. We tell her it's all cleared up, we've talked to A., her commander. She returns, cross or bewildered, or both, to the checkpoint, and we head for the kiosk.Deir Sharaf: Junction of Routes 60 and 57.Today, there are more than the usual number of trailer trucks standing, not far from Jamal's mini market. There are also five or six containers, bearing the names P&O, Zim, Hamburg Sud, Ned Lloyd. Why? Since Awarta is closed this has become an unofficial back to back site! 16:30 Jit JunctionVery little traffic being checked by soldiers, joined by two members of the blue police whose jeep stands at the side of the road. We are surprised to see one policeman, gun pointed in the direction of Sarra, standing behind a concrete checking booth. Although he leaves his position as we arrive, and we think that he's beckoning, he indicates that he wants nothing from us, and we wish each other a good afternoon and wend our way homewards, via Zaatara, where there's little traffic and little checking, and Route 5.