Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Sun 29.6.08, Morning
Translation: Hanna K.
7.50 Zatara/Tapuach: There are 11 vehicles coming from the west.
8.10 Beit Furik:
It's quiet. There are two cars. They are checked quickly. A small number of pedestrians marches toward the CP.
8.25 Awarta: There are no trucks at the entrance to the village, two cars are at the exit.
8.35 Huwwara:
The parking lot is packed full with taxis, and is very teeming with life.
A volunteer from the "internationals" tells us that there are two men detained in the detention cell, they were put into it a few moments ago.
I go to the place. It transpires that there are three detainees there. To my question one of them answers "bingo".
One of the detainees is a taxi driver from Huwwara who, according to the soldiers by-passed or advanced illegally. After all the army does not punish, but his logic tells him that if the driver by-passed another driver, it must be a sure sign that he is a terrorist, and therefore he has to be detained for questioning.
There are three checking posts active, and few people at the turnstiles.
9.00 There is a gathering of drivers at the entrance to the parking lot, nervous running around, shouts.
A Palestinian is held by another Palestinian, seemingly so as to prevent him from hitting somebody. The soldiers run towards the gathering. It seems that this is a quarrel between taxi drivers about their turn. The shouts abated quickly and the soldiers returned to their posts. The soldiers are from the Nahal unit. A. the commander is not prepared to talk to us, is not prepared to say anything about the detainees, he only takes care to warn us that if we should go to them again - he will summon the police. One of the soldiers tells us that the DCO representative is around, but we don't succeed in locating him.
9.15 A Hebrew-talking Palestinian talks to us about the suffering caused to his people by the occupation, and declares that the Palestinians must kill us, the Jews, according to the Koran: Whoever destroys your house - has to be killed by you. This is the first time in my six years at the CPs that I heard such a declaration from a Palestinian.
9.35 We see H. the DCO representative at a distance and shout to him, asking him to come up to us. He doesn't hurry to do it, and when he finally arrives doesn't seem to be too glad to talk to us.
9.40 The detainess are released. The driver and another lad is allowed to go on to Huwwara, the third young man was returned to Nablus.
10.00 We left the CP.