'Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Wed 10.12.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
The entrance to Marda is open and Zeita still closed.
13.45 Za'tara.
About 40 cars coming from Nablus and two checking posts.
14.00 Huwwara
Two checking posts for pedestrians and also one for the women, children and older men. Cars pass the checkpoint without being stopped. For a holiday there are relatively few people passing and no students. Those exiting say they waited about half an hour.
At the new checkpoint we heard a loud robotic sound of a loudspeaker shouting out orders.
To take off close, to show bags, to go backwards or to come forward. Those coming out put their bags and the contents of their pockets on the shelf next to the scanner, go up to the military police, go back and bring their bags, show them and go on. We estimated the time according to one man as 16 minutes.
In the parking area we meet F., a young man, who tells us that on Thursday next to the petrol station in Huwwara, settlers threw a stone at his car and broke his windshield. When we asked what he had done he said he had ridden away. After that when he went through the checkpoint at Za'tara police had run to give him a report on the broken windshield. After an argument he managed to persuade them to let him go. At Micky's advice we wanted to speak to "Yesh Din." But the phone number which he had given us was not connected.
We met another man with a magnetic card which was until 2012 but the DCO had refused to give him a permit to work in Israel. The DCO document mentions various reasons for refusing the request including security, closures, etc. The reason for his refusal according to the document is that he does not "conform to the categories." Later we understood that the man had been arrested some time ago for illegal entry but still it surprised us that there was no mention of this in the report. This enabled the DCO to prevent his getting the work permit on the vague excuse of not conforming to categories.
15.05 Stoppage of life for 10 minutes because the DCO representative says that there is an exercise. Women soldiers chase away a small boy selling sweets.
15.15 We left.
15.25 Beit Furik
The place is empty of people and cars enter and leave without any checking.
15.32 Awarta.
At the entrance to Nablus there is not checking. A line of three cars, including a truck waits. A van is checked for 5 minutes . First the IDs of the passengers opposite the list and afterwards the passengers are taken out of the car and then freed,
15.50 At Za'tara
72 cars wait coming from Nablus. Navah phones the DCO Nablus and S. says that she will deal with it. Quarter of an hour later when we phoned again we were told that there was a delay because of security.
16.00 At the entrance to Kif El Haris is a Hummer.
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