Habla, Hawara, Beit Furik: One righteous man in Sodom as desperation grows

13.30 Habla checkpoint

The gate opened on time. A convoy of vehicles is waiting from the direction of the village of Habla.

We stood near the gate as the soldiers started their inspections,. A soldier approached us and asked what we were doing here. We said - we are looking at how the checkpoint is being run. He asked if we thought it was doing OK. We answered that there shouldn't be a checkpoint here at all. To our surprise, he agreed and said quietly: I am a leftist.

14.30 Hawara 

At the checkpoint, vehicles are inspected in both directions, and this is how long lines of cars were formed.

15.00 Beit Furik

Here, too, the situation at the checkpoint is terrible. Vehicle inspections in both directions cause long lines and slow passage in the heavy heat. People are desperate.

We got out of the car to take pictures. We stood some distance away, we did not enter the checkpoint. A soldier in the guard tower recognized us and called to us over the loudspeaker: "Girls get in the car." When we disobeyed his calls (we wanted to take pictures), he shouted: If you don't get in the car I will close the checkpoint. One of the taxi drivers came to us on his own accord and politely asked us to get out. They'll keep us stuck in this heat until tonight, he said. We got into the car and took pictures from it.

We continued to Beit Dajan. The entrance to the village is blocked by rocks and it is not possible to enter. Another new checkpoint between Madama and Kfar Tel, north of Madama. There is also a checkpoint near Deir Sharaf (Beit Iba). A checkpoint at Jit junction for those entering and leaving Nablus through the village of Sara.

So much turmoil, with people are yelling and despairing.

At the entrance to Beita there is a position manned by soldiers.

The village of Hawara:  The space between every two or three buildings is manned by soldiers. On the roofs of two four-story buildings, near the square, stand soldiers with cocked rifles. Three cars were parked near one of the buildings as their owners went shopping. The soldiers shouted at them to remove the vehicles immediately because parking is prohibited in this area.

On the road from the square towards the village of Inabus, an iron gate was erected and soldiers open and close it whenever they want.

At 16.50 we left.