Huwara - soldiers on both sides of the street with their weapons drawn

14:00 At the entrance to the village of Shufa opposite the entrance to the settlement of Avnei Hefetz  there is a gate that the army and the settlers close whenever they please.  Last week the settlers closed the gate and prevented the village residents from entering, and they began to pray there.   We therefore went there to see what was going on.

14:15 Anabta Checkpoint was operating.  One of the people told us that they cause problems for clerks when they leave for work in the morning and when they return in the afternoon.   

14:30 Beit Iba – At the entrance to Beit Iba – Dir Sharaf there were army positions in both directions with four soldiers at each position.

14:45 – The position was manned and soldiers were also stationed at the entrance to the village of Sara and Nablus. 

15:00 Burin – The position opposite the school was manned.   

15:10 – The checkpoint at Huwara was manned.  People were being checked but there was no waiting line.  Two women soldiers approached us and asked who we were and then left. 

15:30 Beit Furik was manned.  People were being checked but there was no waiting line.

 After 16:00 Beit Furik and Huwara became crowded. 

We returned to Huwara.  At every corner on the main street there were military position with armed soldiers on both sides of the street with their weapons drawn.    There was another position on the roof of a four – story building overlooking the square and the road leading to the village of Einabus, where there is a gate. 

We entered a store and the owners told us that they had been told by the soldiers that if they did not close the store within a half hour the soldiers would throw shock grenades and gas grenades at them.  After a few minutes a group of soldiers began going from one store to another to ensure that they were closing.  They shouted at the owner of the store we had entered.  I told the soldiers that it was my fault that he had not closed because I had wanted to buy something, and the soldiers demanded to know why I wanted to shop here.

The owner of the knafeh bakery said that he did not know what to do because he had an order of sweets to fill for a wedding that needed to be delivered on time.

I followed the soldiers and asked them why they were forcing people to close their stores.  They claimed that people had been throwing stones.  I argued that I had not seen a single person in the street and it was blocked with cars.

16:00 Beita

There were two positions at the entrance with soldiers standing next to them. 

16:20 – We drove back via Jit Junction.  There was a long line of cars at Sara Checkpoint.  Soldiers were meticulously checkpoint each car.  The line extended nearly as far as the entrance to Nablus.

16:40  Azun – The position next to the gate was manned.