Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Wed 16.7.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
14.05 Zeita. Some cars on both sides and the iron barrier is open.
Za'tara CP. 18 cars from Nablus.
14.22 Huwwara.
3 detainees
and one of them has been there half an hour waiting for his ID, the other does not know why he is there.
The commander asks us how we are, our names, shakes our hand and explains to us why they are detained. One wants to go through to Jordan and has been waiting half an hour. He appears on the list, maybe "bingo." The other two have put up kiosks in the middle of the road for the past week.
3 checking areas and there is pressure.
At 14.20 the three detainees are freed and the one who wanted to go to Joran, H. D. has not yet got his ID and after a few minutes is put back in the isolation.
From the lines are heard shouts and the soldiers go past the turnstiles shouting for silence. A woman soldier shouting 'Yalla, all go back" chases them away. D. decides that only the middle turnstile will be activated. People pass slowly and at another stage another turnstile is activated. The passage of cars to Nablus is closed and each time a car arrives it is opened. Racheli is angry and rightly so. The men are in the shade and the women in the sun. She goes to the enclosure and tries to divide them into two, in other words one area for men and one for women. There is some progress through this feminist activity and the women come closer to the passage where we are and stand in the shade. A soldier sends away the people standing next to us in the direction of the enclosure and one of them explains to us that the shed is meant to give them shade and the enclosure is open to the sun.
At 14.50 Racheli phones the centre about H. D.
A Palestinian calls our attention to the fact that a new building is being developed to the east. The occupation is strengthening its hold. Racheli again tries to phone the humanitarian centre and gets an automatic response that it is impossible to phone this number. She asks D., the commander about H. and he says that he has been phoning every 10 minutes and has not been able to get a reply.
At 15.30 H. is given his ID and comes to shake hands with us and go on to Jordan.
16.00 Beit Furik.
4 cars in the direction of Nablus and one detainee. Few pedestrians. The detained man is from the village of Zebaba and he is not allowed to pass here. Has been here an hour and a half. The soldiers say they are waiting for the decision of the secret service. An argument ensues as to what is punishment and what is legal as we say that he is being punished and that this is not legal. The soldiers speak to the man who says he knows that he is not allowed to pass through here but that he hoped that he would be let through. Racheli explains to the soldiers that the sin is less than the punishment and that if he has asked to pass through then he is not wanted and has no intention of doing any harm.
On the cement blocks is written "Death to the Arabs." A weak attempt has been made to rub this out but it is still very clear.
16.40 Huwwara.
8 cars and few pedestrians. A man has been detained for half an hour as this is the first time his number has come up in the list. He is freed at 16.55 and joins his family going to a wedding. Now the dogtrainer is also present.
17.15 Za'tara. 18 cars in either direction.
At Huwwara a man came up to Racheli and started a discussion about Machsomwatch. More than he wants to listen he wants to be heard. His message sharpens the cruelty and frustration of the occupation. "What are you doing here. You just stand and look at how others suffer." No more needs to be said.