Awarta, Beit Furik, Burin (Yitzhar), Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Mon 10.3.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
13.50 Shaare Shomron.
Opposite the entrance to Ariel is an army car and armed soldiers.
The road to Marda is open but to Seita locked and close.
14.20 Za'tara.
A new thing for our shift. Our forces are checking cars on the road in the direction of Nablus and this includes cars coming from the south and west. Reserve soldiers, routine checking and the commander who is seemingly friendly says that it is his job to safeguard the lives of the Israelis and Palestinians and therefore get away from the checkpoint. There is also a blue policeman at the checkpoint.
14.30 The crossroads of Burin.
An army car in the direction of Yitzhar and it seems that cars are passing without problems.
At Beit Furik
The taxi drivers say that note the checkpoint is O.K. The commander, Y, comes quickly to put us in our place and refuses to look at the letter of the Attorney General saying that he has his own commander. In his favour we must say that though we did not hurry to retreat he did not threaten to close the checkpoint. There are few people. In the direction of Nablus cars pass without great delay but from the direction from Nablus there are 9 cars which wait a long time though it is not clear why as the checkpoint is pretty empty. We phoned the DCO and we were told that 8 cars do not call for intervention. Later when we were at Huwwarra Micky F. phoned and said that there were 20! She had phoned the DCO.
At Awarta no lines but quite a lot of cars.
15.20 Huwwara.
There is a detainee who is not allowed to speak to us. The commander is polite and says the man's number is being checked and that he will free him when he can. Maybe it will take two hours. 3 turnstiles are working .
Young men exiting says that they waited about an hour, some say half an hour. 3 trucks which had been on the Madison road, the apartheid road have been detained. They say there is no sign and they did know that it was forbidden but had decided to take the chance because even with the punishment of being detained here things are more efficient. A private car leaving Nablus is checked for more than 10 minutes. A bus from Awarta which we saw at 15.30 reached the checking point at 16.07. All the passengers alight. We leave at 16.15 while the IDs of about 30 people are being checked.
16.45 Za'tara.
We stopped to see a truck with cows which had been detained. The commander was checking the permit with the Agricultural DCO because the name of the driver was not that on the permit. The twilight and the mist and the haze descend on the occupied territories and we leave.
.