International Checkpoint Watch - Daily Observations

Date:            15/09/01                                  Time:  11:00 - 14:30

Place Observed:  Surda

Number of Soldiers Present:  Four initially, up to eight at other points.

Soldiers Names, ID #’s, License Plate #’s, Etc: 

Events Witnessed:

11:00-  At time of arrival 40-50 Palestinians waiting on Ramallah side of checkpoint, mainly students trying to get to school.  Many people deciding to walk through the fields instead of waiting to get by on the road.  Soldiers are yelling at and pushing students.  Students not responding in kind.  One ICW monitor steps in between a Palestinian young man and the soldier who is pushing him.  The soldier turns his attention to the monitor and begins pushing pushing him instead.

11:30-  Jeep drives through crowed toward Ramallah and then back again.  When the jeep returns, soldiers suddenly jump out and pull aside one of the male students.  A few women students try to hold him back but fail.  The young man is taken up to the checkpoint to await the police.  When questioned about the arrest the soldiers say they saw the student spit when they drove by and such disrespect would not be permitted.  The monitors were near the student as the jeep drove by but did not witness any spitting from him or anyone else.

12:00-  Seven employees and students of Birzeit University, both Palestinian and international, attempt to go through the checkpoint and are stopped by the soldiers.  A soldier threatens them by pulling the pin from a sound grenade.  The students and employees sit down at the side of the road and the soldier does not throw the grenade.  Eventually two international students walk through and the soldiers do not prevent them.  None of the Palestinians succeed in making it through.

14:30-  When monitors leave the checkpoint is still closed but many pedestrians have either returned to Ramallah or have walked around checkpoint through the fields.