Beit Iba, Jit, Thu 6.3.08, Afternoon
13:46
On one of the
access roads to Azzun, from route 55, we note 2 army jeeps and a bulldozer,
driving towards the village. The other entrance to Azzun is still blocked with
barbed wire and dirt.
13:55
We enter the village of Al Funduq. The army has
created a dirt mound to block the exit leading from it towards the village of Haja, but the residents
have cleared some of it away.
14:02 No CPs at Jit
junction.
14:11 Beit Iba CP.
Masses of people are at this CP, most of them students going home for the
weekend. Parked nearby are buses full of people, waiting for the younger men
who were made to get off the buss and pass the checking on foot.
The
shed is full and the young men have to stand toe to toe as they wait to be let
through. The weather is hot. The noise coming from the electronic checking
devices is ear deafening. The soldiers make people take off shoes, belts,
coats. Every once in a while, one of the young people who have been taken
off the buses approaches the soldiers and ask to be checked at the "humanitarian
line" because of all the people waiting for them. One by one their
petitions are denied, using few words and crude gestures, the soldiers order
them back into their place in line. A M.P. woman makes no effort to disguise
her disgust of the people whom she has to check. With a look of disdain, she
tips the contents of a plastic bag onto the checking board, and some of the
items skip to the ground.
Rudy,
the DCO officer is fed up with a young man who keeps begging to be let through,
and pushes him back into place.
The soldiers examine patients' medical papers to
decide if they can be let through the "humanitarian line".
Someone loses a 50 NIS bill in the bustle.
Another young man attempts to explain to the CP
commander why he must be let through, but he won't listen. When the man
continues to argue the captain decides to detain him and he is led to the
compound. To us he explains that the man's number has come up on the secret
services wanted list. He leaves him there for 40 minutes and then puts him back
in line.
Two older men attempt to speak to the captain: one is
from Qusin, the village adjacent to the CP. He has bags of animal feed in his
truck and wants to go into Nablus. The other is accompanying his father who is
returning from heart surgery in Nablus, in a private ambulance. The ambulance
hasn't a permit to leave Nablus. CP commander Avi misunderstands and tells the
first man he can pass. The second man thinks he's talking to him and says
'thank you so much officer'. Avi says: 'shut up, who the hell's talking to
you?!'
Then Avi understand that the first man is carrying
merchandise and recants. Talking to the soldier he says- 'he has no permit tell
him to get the hell out of here'.
The second man keeps begging-
'My father is sick, he's
going to die'
'Be quiet'
'I won't leave my father
to die!'
'Shut up!'
'Brother…' he
attempts
'I'm not you're brother!'
is the retort.
The man turns to leave- 'good day'.
He goes and tells the ambulance driver to keep going
anyway, even though his own ID is in the hands of the soldiers. He wants his
father to get back home.
Later on the man receives his ID back.
We left at 15:55.