Beit Ummar, Betar Illit, Etzion DCL, Tue 5.4.11, Afternoon

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Observers: 
Yael L.-J. (reporting), Avital F. (driving)
Apr-5-2011
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Afternoon

Duration: 14:00 PM till 16:40 PM

  Beit Ummar: 

a few days before our tour there had been a demonstration of Israelis against a curfew of the village. That was why we wanted to see if there still was something going on. But there was nothing unusual as far we could see. There stood one car of the IDF at the side of the road to the village, and there were taxis waiting for passengers.

 Etzion DCL:

Outside on the parking space stood 4 Palestinian cars, inside in the waiting hall was nobody. Perhaps some Palestinians were invited to the Shabbak (what we cannot observe).

During I was looking around in the waiting hall, the soldier on duty called me, asking me coming to him. I was using the opportunity of looking behind the turnstiles, where I never had been. So I went. Before I had noticed that there was a second soldier around.

Now I stood before a very young religious soldier, sitting behind thick glass before him a  Hebrew prayer book, all this so low that I was taller and had to stand with bended knees. The second soldier stood silently and was hidden at the left side from the window (but I could feel his presence and see parts of him when I left).

Now the sitting one started his investigation (beginning with Hebrew, continuing in English):

"what are you doing here?"

"I am from 'Machsom-Watch' ". The name of this organization did evidently not mean anything to him, but he did not want to learn more about it. (It seemed as if the 'hidden soldier' made him signs what to ask.)

"What are you doing here?"

"I am looking around"

"Why?"

"I am a curious person. When I am hearing something about checkpoints I am going there to look"

This I repeated several times.

They let me go and did not ask for my ID.

PS:  You may think that I came to grips with the situation and therefore did not tell him about my thoughts concerning the occupation and democracy etc. Well, I was not prepared to do that as I was never a soldier myself and have no soldier sons.

Beitar Illit, 16:10 PM:  some soldiers stood at the CP, but no drivers except us were at the place.