Huwwara, Sha`ar Shomron (Qasem), Za'tara (Tapuah), Wed 17.9.08, Morning
Translation: Ruth F.
Notes: We did not head to Beit Furik because a bulb had alerted us about a problem with the car. The hours specified in the report are according to the Israeli time zone
Suliman: "Instead of giving us potatoes they put mountains on top of us"
7:28- Samaria passage: The checkpoint was activated from the east
7:42-Zeita Jamain blockage: They added pails of dirt to the concrete blocks
7:50- Za'tara
Two posts were active from the north.
There were few vehicles on each side.
From time to time the soldiers pulled over a car to check the IDs. The insemination of the occupation in the occupied's mind is so intense that even when being signaled by the soldier to head on, the driver, when approaching the inspection booth, comes to a complete stop. The passengers of a bus that had their IDs inspected waited for 6 minutes.
A car was parked at the parking lot. We didn't see from where the driver came.
At 8:21 two soldiers approached it, and one of them gave the IDs back to the passengers while talking to them, the other was pointing his rifle right at the drivers face.
By the military vehicle that is parked near the inspection posts was a man sitting on a plastic chair that was brought to him from the inspection posts area. In the beginning we thought it was a soldier resting, but when we came closer we saw he was a Palestinian. He might have been taken out of the Palestinian car that was there earlier, we didn't notice. He had been detained for 20 minutes. We asked the soldiers that were guarding him and they said he was being detained. The soldiers could see it was difficult for the Palestinian, especially since it was the "Ramadan". It was a particularly hot day. The soldiers wouldn't give us the man's details.
8:37- We called the "Humanitarian Line" about the detainee. K' from the "Moked" said she would make some inquiries.
At 9:20 K from the "Humanitarian Line" said that the detainees
situation is still being checked.
8:55- Huwwara
Three posts were active, there was an x-ray machine but no dogs.
Few pedestrians were there. We couldn't see the vehicle line, not even when we drove towards the Apartheid road.
On top of the constant bipping of the magnometer there was also drillings, they were hanging a computers screen [ I wonder whether the angle in which the screen is placed won't send more soldiers running to the military orthopedic as one has to raise his head in an impossible way to look at it]. The inspection ritual was preformed on that day as well: the unbuckling of the belt, the taking out of the objects from the pockets and from time to time the lifting of the edge of the trousers in order to expose the legs. And after they passed the turnstiles they buckled their belts while walking. We passed by the "Humanitarian point" (without crossing the "white line"). The soldiers there couldn't help put send us off. "I'll be more then happy to do it, if you don't go away we will stop the inspections". She didn't even care what the government's legal adviser had to say about that.
In contrast to the fast passage of pedestrians (as I have already mentions part of the reason for that was that there were few) the vehicle inspection was very slow because the soldiers where to preoccupied with themselves in between the inspection of cars.
9:55- We left.
At the parking lot facing us was Suliman, he asked that we help him find a relative of his. They were from Jama'in. The relative had been working at Ganey Tikva without a permit (an illegal worker as the military calls it), he was arrested by the police, probably on Sunday. He managed to tell the family of his arrest but they didn't know where he was or what was going on with him. As part of our efforts to understand how the family could get their rights we called Dafna B, who called the police. The officer that answered told her that they only give such information to the family and that they should go to Mesubin police station (from Ja'main! With out a permit!) her efforts at the Nablus DCO also did not bear the results we were looking for.
When at home we kept trying to catch hold of the DCO, O' answered, he said the event didn't take place in his region and referred us to the "IDF Humanitarian Centre ".
A' from the "center" said she couldn't help since they don't work with the Israeli police and that this was a case of an illegal worker. We called Hana B who said that it should be checked with the "Centre for the Defence of the Individual".
We called Suliman again, who then said the sentence quoted at the beginning.
10:50- Za'tara- No vehicles.
Translation: Ruth F.
Notes: We did not head to Beit Furik because a bulb had alerted us about a problem with the car. The hours specified in the report are according to the Israeli time zone
Suliman: "Instead of giving us potatoes they put mountains on top of us"
7:28- Samaria passage: The checkpoint was activated from the east
7:42-Zeita Jamain blockage: They added pails of dirt to the concrete blocks
7:50- Za'tara
Two posts were active from the north.
There were few vehicles on each side.
From time to time the soldiers pulled over a car to check the IDs. The insemination of the occupation in the occupied's mind is so intense that even when being signaled by the soldier to head on, the driver, when approaching the inspection booth, comes to a complete stop. The passengers of a bus that had their IDs inspected waited for 6 minutes.
A car was parked at the parking lot. We didn't see from where the driver came.
At 8:21 two soldiers approached it, and one of them gave the IDs back to the passengers while talking to them, the other was pointing his rifle right at the drivers face.
By the military vehicle that is parked near the inspection posts was a man sitting on a plastic chair that was brought to him from the inspection posts area. In the beginning we thought it was a soldier resting, but when we came closer we saw he was a Palestinian. He might have been taken out of the Palestinian car that was there earlier, we didn't notice. He had been detained for 20 minutes. We asked the soldiers that were guarding him and they said he was being detained. The soldiers could see it was difficult for the Palestinian, especially since it was the "Ramadan". It was a particularly hot day. The soldiers wouldn't give us the man's details.
8:37- We called the "Humanitarian Line" about the detainee. K' from the "Moked" said she would make some inquiries.
At 9:20 K from the "Humanitarian Line" said that the detainees situation is still being checked.
8:55- Huwwara
Three posts were active, there was an x-ray machine but no dogs.
Few pedestrians were there. We couldn't see the vehicle line, not even when we drove towards the Apartheid road.
On top of the constant bipping of the magnometer there was also drillings, they were hanging a computers screen [ I wonder whether the angle in which the screen is placed won't send more soldiers running to the military orthopedic as one has to raise his head in an impossible way to look at it]. The inspection ritual was preformed on that day as well: the unbuckling of the belt, the taking out of the objects from the pockets and from time to time the lifting of the edge of the trousers in order to expose the legs. And after they passed the turnstiles they buckled their belts while walking. We passed by the "Humanitarian point" (without crossing the "white line"). The soldiers there couldn't help put send us off. "I'll be more then happy to do it, if you don't go away we will stop the inspections". She didn't even care what the government's legal adviser had to say about that.
In contrast to the fast passage of pedestrians (as I have already mentions part of the reason for that was that there were few) the vehicle inspection was very slow because the soldiers where to preoccupied with themselves in between the inspection of cars.
9:55- We left.
At the parking lot facing us was Suliman, he asked that we help him find a relative of his. They were from Jama'in. The relative had been working at Ganey Tikva without a permit (an illegal worker as the military calls it), he was arrested by the police, probably on Sunday. He managed to tell the family of his arrest but they didn't know where he was or what was going on with him. As part of our efforts to understand how the family could get their rights we called Dafna B, who called the police. The officer that answered told her that they only give such information to the family and that they should go to Mesubin police station (from Ja'main! With out a permit!) her efforts at the Nablus DCO also did not bear the results we were looking for.
When at home we kept trying to catch hold of the DCO, O' answered, he said the event didn't take place in his region and referred us to the "IDF Humanitarian Centre ".
A' from the "center" said she couldn't help since they don't work with the Israeli police and that this was a case of an illegal worker. We called Hana B who said that it should be checked with the "Centre for the Defence of the Individual".
We called Suliman again, who then said the sentence quoted at the beginning.
10:50- Za'tara- No vehicles.