MachsomWatch Summary – December 2004

							                  MachsomWatch Summary – December 2004

MachsomWatch – a group of Israeli women that was set up in response to reports of
grave violations of human rights at IDF checkpoints. Its chief activity is monitoring and
documenting the checkpoints‟ operations, with the goal of protecting human rights
and reporting violations of them.

Crossing prohibited – let them stay at home


“…a two-day-old baby with a heart defect was being transferred by an Israeli
ambulance to Sheba hospital in Israel for surgery...the baby‟s mother was not given a
permit, since the Palestinian doctor had inadvertently written the grandmother‟s name
instead of the mother‟s. The soldiers suggested sending the baby with the father
alone..” (who would no doubt be able to breastfeed him) (Huwwara, 14 December)

The checkpoints and barriers constitute the principal means used by Israel‟s state authorities
to restrict the Palestinians‟ freedom of movement – a basic human right. Behind the scenes at
the checkpoint are the coordination and liaison offices (the DCOs – District Coordination
Offices). Using bureaucratic methods, this entity determines the routine of occupation. Any
movement of Palestinians within the West Bank is contingent on their presenting permits to
cross through both the permanent checkpoints and the impromptu ones which are constantly
multiplying.

“…the usual stories of people who come and go every month, requesting a magnetic
card but are sent away without getting any explanation. A taxi driver was dispatched to
pay NIS 6,000 in fines. Only after he paid he was told that he was „prohibited for
security reasons‟. Naturally, when he inquired why, no answer was forthcoming,
because meeting with that omnipotent entity – the General Security Service (AKA
Shabak)- is not an option.” (Etzion DCO, 1 December)

“…a man with a police record for having entered Israel without a permit. He has an
authorization from the Beit Shemesh police that his file has been closed. He has
already paid fines totalling NIS 20,000. The police told his lawyer that the debt has been
wiped off the records. But at the DCO still has no confirmation of this. He says he‟s
been coming here every day for two months, but the matter remains open”. (Etzion
DCO, 23 December). Two months later, the computer hasn‟t been updated – and this in the
twenty-first century…


“Sixteen labourers had their work permits confiscated when it transpired that their
employer in Israel had declared bankruptcy the previous day. The soldiers received an
instruction to collect valid permits from the labourers and return them to the DCO. It
also means that the Palestinians who have already worked for that employer will not
receive their wages”. (Tarqumiya, 20 December)
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Bullying
“A detained man with valid permits was not allowed to cross. The soldier at the
checking position claimed that he couldn‟t release the man, since another soldier had
detained him.” (Huwwara, 5 December)

“A medical student from Al Quds University, who lives in Hebron, went to Ramallah
this morning for a day of field-work, told us that he was forbidden to return; what is he
to do - a large part of his studies consists of field-work in various hospitals”.
(Qalandiya, 21 December).

“A large group of women was waiting for a bus that was stuck in the line for trucks.
They had paid their fares, but the driver was detained for four hours because, when the
passengers boarded the bus, it had blocked the path of an officer‟s jeep which had just
arrived. “That‟s the law”, the officer said, and after being asked to name the specific
law, he agreed to compromise on „order‟. As for the passengers who had paid their
fares and had now lost their money, he commented “I can‟t think of everything, they
should take a taxi”. (Beit Iba, 17 December)


The Seamline Area
This is the area between the „separation fence‟ and the Green Line. It contains Palestinian
villages (Hirbet Jubara and East Barta‟a. among others) whose residents are cut off from their
relatives, from sources of income, from their agricultural land, and from education centres.
They are trapped: they are forbidden to enter Israeli territory, and encounter difficulties in
crossing into and out of the West Bank. When they request permits to transfer goods from
the West Bank into seamline villages, the whole process is marked by acute inconsistency.
Their permits are related to arbitrarily, depending on the mood of the soldier at the
checkpoint, and this forces Palestinian farmers to try various manoeuvres to get their goods
across.


“One worker held a permit to enter Israel, and wanted to go via Hirbet Jubara because
an electrical job was waiting for him there. The soldier said his permit was only
suitable for entering Israel, but not Jubara, and he had to comply with the
instructions”. (Jubara, 6 December)

„Some 30 detainees with permits to enter the land they own in Jubara… were asked
(out of the blue) to cross via Irtah (a different checkpoint, some distance away)…they said
they had tried to cross at Irtah, but had been turned away there too. Their group stood
waiting for a long time while several junior officers went back and forth, trying to
understand what was going on.” (Jubara, 5 December)

„The instructions given by soldiers at Rihan checkpoint - „Take those goods from
Jalama, not from here‟, or „Go through Bak‟a, not here‟ – are paradoxical – transferring
goods from the West Bank to Jalama and back into the „seam-line‟ area not only
lengthens the process ten-fold (like going from Kfar Saba to Ra‟anana by way of Haifa),
but also passes through Israeli territory which is prohibited for residents of the
seamline area”. (Jubara, 8 December, 18 December)

“The ban on transfer of olive oil from the West Bank into Israel is still in
effect. Residents of the seamline who brought their olives to the oil press in
the West Bank (because the oil press in Barta'a was destroyed a few
months ago by the IDF) are requested to return the oil to their homes
through the Jalama checkpoint, which is far away. In Jalama there is a
back-to-back lot. This procedure is impossible for them and they try to
bring in the oil in various ways.
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“Today it was permitted to transfer one container only, and only in a car . A
Palestinian who dragged a heavy jerry can of oil (17 litres) by hand and
tried to pass through the pedestrian line, wasn't permitted to do so.
According to the soldiers, this oil might find its way to Israel and compete
with Israeli suppliers. Moreover, this product doesn't undergo quality
control and one female soldier even volunteered to tell us that this oil is
"not kosher." If one side is trying to be "smart," the other side tries to be
even "smarter" - and so, this man was standing there with one jerry can
while the entire lot was empty of vehicles or people and he wasn't allowed
through. The DCO representative "found a solution" – he loaded the man
and his jerry can onto a pickup truck that happened to drive by on its way
to Barta'a. The regulations were respected and the problem was solved.
(Rihan, 5 December)

“The next day nothing at all was allowed through. Yesterday it was permitted to
bring in olive jars for "personal use", but today, even that was banned.
Absolutely no commercial goods of any sort, to the many stores of Barta'a.
That is the direct order of the DCO. Even the soldiers thought that it is
"really exaggerated". One village, which wanted to get four olive oil
containers across waited for an opportunity. Another man tried to get two
sacks of tobacco through. He was turned away. The DCO representative
agreed that the olive oil containers could go across. The villager w ith the
olive oil gave the villager with the tobacco two containers of oil, so he
could try and get them through in his car. The checkpoint commander
discovered the plot and went ballistic – “You won‟t get anything through. I
know you!” (Rihan, 6 December)

“D., the commander, decided to award Jubara a special status for “security needs”
and for the sake of Israeli citizens‟ health („to prevent a salmonella outbreak‟). He
classified Jubara as within Israeli territory and prohibited the introduction of eggs and
vegetables „in commercial quantities), to the village. D. claimed that Jubara‟s residents
can arrange to receive illegal supplies from nearby Taibeh (in Israel). At first, the
checkpoint commander received permission from the DCO man to transfer 100 trays of
eggs, and concluded from this that vegetables (a few crates that had been taken from a
privately-owned car) – were forbidden. After the DCO man made it clear to him that
Jubara has hundreds of residents – the commander was forced to allow the transfer of
food.” (Jubara, 21 December)


Discrimination against Arab citizens of Israel
The discrimination against Arab citizens of Israel is reflected in the restrictions imposed on
their movements and in attempts to sever all connections between them and the Arab
residents of the West Bank.

“The Arab citizens of Israel are not allowed to enter the West Bank. The soldiers term
this „a closure‟. Settlers encounter no problems in entering and leaving. (Rihan, 9, 13 &
18 December)

“Entrance to Arab citizens of Israel is forbidden, apart from cases of reuniting families,
and only with permits. In all cases, the vehicles of Arab citizens of Israel are not
allowed to enter the area. This procedure is valid only from 09:00 to 16:00, and only on
Saturdays”. (Jubara, 11 December)
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Abu Dis (or a chronicle of stifling foretold)

Once this was the main road to Jericho. Later a concrete fence - decorated with pastoral
scenes, left over from the Gilo wall - was erected on the main road. Next, an 8 metre-high wall
was built, but one opening still remained in the Pishpash neighbourhood. Following that the
gate was closed, replaced by concrete slabs that allowed people to clamber through a narrow
crossing, suitable for Palestinian “sportspeople” of all ages and sexes. That too has now been
sealed off. Henceforward, people are referred to a new checkpoint, not far from the Az-
Za‟ayyem checkpoint on the main road to Ma‟aleh Adumim, a great distance from the
Pishpash. The army announced that a proper car-park is available there. We discovered that
the roads leading there are potholed dirt-tracks, now flooded by the winter rain, and cannot be
traversed on foot or private cars. Az-Za‟ayyem, it turns out, falls rather short of Ben-Gurion
2000…

“…The first road was deserted. Only one van was climbing it. On the other
road there were four pedestrians, one with a walking cane, climbing up the
muddy earth, strewn with stones. Two vans that passed us while our little
car attempted to climb up the road looked at us with pity. We had to give up
in the middle; it was too dangerous, our car slid in the deep mud, and the
road curved too sharply. The road was almost empty… (Abu Dis, 29 December)


Impromptu Checkpoints
Certain improvements are indeed being felt at the permanent checkpoints (ahead of the
presidential elections for the Palestinian Authority on 9 January 2005), but on the other hand,
many impromptu checkpoints have sprung up - often a few kilometres from the permanent
ones, so that the adverse impact on free travel remains unchanged.

“On our way back, we were caught in an unannounced roadblock at Deir
Sharaf where about 25 cars were waiting on line. All the passengers were
told to get out of the cars and had their ID cards inspected by a soldier and
an officer. It was not eno ugh that they had already waited in line at Beit Iba,
now they were being inspected again.” (Beit Iba, 13 December)

“…The passengers had to get out of their vehicle, standing in the dark and freezing
cold by the roadside, their permit were collected, among them papers of detainees who
had been checked and released five minutes previously by the GSS”. (Beit Iba, 17
December).


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All the reports can be found on our internet site:
http://www.machsomwatch.org