'Azzun 'Atma, Thu 17.7.08, Afternoon
"When the darkness falls and the arrow hits every Arab mother will cry." A slogan the soldiers wrote on the shed where the Palestinians wait.
13.25 Very few people entering Israel. The people tell us that today the checkpoint is good. The workers have not got yet finished their work week in Israel and only a few are now coming through. We got to the checkpoint (the gate of the separation fence) in a "taxi" ( a private car which had been converted so as to make a living). After we had parked the car opposite the entrance to the village on the side of Israel the owner of the house invited us to park in his yard saying that we must please keep coming.
When we got there there were no lines of cars, only 3 detainees
(illegal workers) and they were freed when we arrived. The soldiers clustered around us and wanted to start an argument. "What do you have to say about the return of the bodies yesterday?" We avoid this but they say that "Here is Israel, here is Shaarei Tikvah and this is Israel." We try to explain to them where they are but our words fall on deaf ears. Who does not want to hear, does not hear.
Ben comes to us full of joy and happiness. Asks about Hagar, Yifat (where is the girl from last week?) as if he is our friend. His closeness to us is not pleasant. We want to speak to the Palestinian drivers on the other side but cannot do so while he sticks to us. The Palestinians come up to us and he starts to interrogate them. 'What am I like? How is the checkpoint? What laughter we had today correct? We had much laughter" And that are embarrassed and say "Good, good." Two soldiers stand with their guns pointed at them asking "How are we?" as if anyone would dare anything in such a situation and say that they are bastards. And if people say that they could do so they must realise that the Palestinians are frightened. The soldier who was questioning them is the worse, one moment he jokes with them and the next beats them up. The soldiers do not prevent us standing where we want.
14.00 A border police jeep arrive and 2 soldiers get out and walk around the checkpoint.
14.15 Another jeep arrives and parks next to it and the two stay there till 14.45 when they leave. The company commander phones one of the soldiers and asks to speak to me. He asks if there are problems with the border police (probably because of our reports from last week about the violence of which the Palestinians had spoken to us in which they had been involved and which had been initiated by the soldiers.
14.45 A changing of the shift and now the official commander is Amit, first sergeant, but a woman soldier who kept cursing us the last time we were here insisted on our being sent away. Even before they had finished organising themselves she ordered the checkpoint to be losed and then the soldiers came and threatened us that the checkpoint would remain closed until we went beyond the cement blocks at the side of the village and to the gate on the other side. Because a line started to form of those waiting we went back.
14.55 A young man who arrives 10 minutes previously is detained in the shed and we cannot speak to him. For the next half an hour more workers arrived and six of them were also detained. When there were sufficient soldiers to the taste of the soldiers they are called to pass through with no attention being paid to the amount of time that they had had to wait. So the first to be detained is the last to pass. This process was repeated.
One of the soldiers, Netta, screams at the Palestinians all the time and also at her colleagues. And we saw how the language of bestiality entered the level of conversation also between the soldiers themselves. One of the soldiers shouts to his friend vulgarly "wow!" just as they call the Palestinians very often and when he does not reply the shout becomes a scream of :"WOW" . Anyone who thinks that this vulgarity and blunting of feelings will end when once again they put on their civil clothes should come to the checkpoint and see how the norms of behavior are well rooted the repertoire and behavior of the soldiers.
15.15 A large number of cars arrive loaded with workers and also a large number of pedestrians who had alighted from a van about 50 metres back. Most of those who come on foot are detained in the way that has already been described, 30 minutes. The passage of all the others is swift except for some exceptions ? a Mazda car with new doors in their original wrappings the car has a permit , the doors do not. After an argument of 10 minutes while the line waits the doors go through to Azun Etma ? halleluyah.
At the end a remark. The residents of Azun-Etma with whom we spoke beg us to come especially on Thursdays and Sundays. This village which has remained on the Israeli side of the wall has a very difficult time and the place of the checkpoint which is hidden from view and the necessity of going through here for every small matter exposes them to abuse, to harassment, to the :"jokes" as Ben calls them. Elderly people are insulted while they are dependent on 18 year olds carrying weapons, young people who have no idea or interest in the humanity of the other this is their daily routine.
The people show in every manner their happiness that we com, do us honour and want to buy us drinks and to offer us things, refuse to take money for the trip. I have no doubt in the need and desire for people from the village to have our presence (but we have to also pay attention to the fact that we must not interfere in things that have nothing to do with us.)