Awarta, Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Sun 17.2.08, Morning

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Observers: 
Yael B. and Ditzah Y (reporting).
Feb-17-2008
|
Morning

Translation: Rachel B.

 

The cohort of soldiers at Beit Furik and Awarta has been changed and there is a noticeable improvement in the attitude towards the Palestinians and towards us.  However, there is a segregation (lwdyb) and very intensive checking resulting in a long line of cars (this is 2 days after the assassination of Moraniyah).

Zeita: 7:20 AM

There is a road block with cement cubes, 2 taxis and a group of people standing next to them.

Za'tara: 7:35 AM

There are 21 cars approaching from the west and 51 from the north.  The soldiers are Air Force Reserve troops. The (female) commander of the checkpoint approaches us, very open to our presence and aware of the suffering of the Palestinians. She tries to speed up the checking but, as was said, the processing is very intensive and the line is long.

Yitzhar: 8:00 AM

There are 13 cars in line.

Beit Furik: 8:30 AM

There is a long line of cars at the entrance to Nablus.  The drivers approach us and complain about the long wait. One driver claims he has been waiting an hour, another says an hour and a half.

The soldiers are Nahal troops. The commander comes over to us and requests that we stand at the edge of the checkpoint but does not make us leave and is willing to talk to us.  According to him, the long wait is due to particularly intensive searches related to security concerns.

Awarta: 8:50 AM

Nahal troops here as weel, who also do not ask us to leave.  There are many trucks approaching from the direction of Nablus, we cannot estimate their number.  A. A. tells us that even though there are many cars in line, the soldiers are "good" and check the cars as quickly as possible.

Huwwara: 9:00 AM

The parking lot is full of life.  Some of those going into Nablus are checked thoroughly, especially young men, but it is quick and does not cause long lines to form. At the turnstiles there are two lanes open for procession and a third is being fixed, with an ear splitting noise of soldiering.

9:40 AM A Palestinians asks for our help. He is a car dealer and has to bring a truck to the garage but he has not been permitted to do so, based on the excuse that he has no permit for a truck.  He says: the situation is shit.  However, we can't deny that T., the officer from the District Coordinating Office who was there and whom we asked to intervene, does allow him to go through after looking into it.

10 AM A student who lives in Jenin was not allowed to go into Nablus.  All we could do was pass his information on to Miki F. who is in touch with the Association for Civil Rights.