By Shlomo Lahat, Haaretz.com
http://educate-yourself.org/cn/checkpointbreedinghatred05jan04.shtml
Jan. 5, 2004

"I am convinced that the checkpoints constitute a breeding ground for hatred for Israel, and harm an innocent population in an inhumane manner."

Two weeks ago, together with my friend Brigadier General (res.) Yitzhak Elron, I visited 13 Israel Defense Forces checkpoints in Judea and Samaria, near the cities of Nablus, Tul Karm and Qalqilyah.

The visit was conducted at the initiative of B'Tselem, and I must point out that the two people from B'Tselem who accompanied us throughout the visit did not try to influence us in any way. We saw and we formed impressions. And the impressions were very harsh.

The Palestinians arrive at one checkpoint by car, and there they have to get out in order to cross over by foot to the next checkpoint on the road. The distances are not small, sometimes several kilometers.

At one checkpoint we met four mothers with eight blind children aged 4-5 who were walking to Nablus for medical treatment. It was a hair-raising sight to see the little blind children marching along led by the women.

Some of the drivers of trucks or taxis commit crimes such as the attempt to bypass a route or a path. They are punished by the commander of the checkpoint, some 18-year-old soldier, who decides for how long to delay the vehicle. The wait can continue from four to 24 hours, or more. It's up to the checkpoint commander.

We came across a convoy of 10 trucks driven by Israeli Arabs, who were bringing food to Nablus. A few kilometers before Nablus they were suddenly stopped, and told that entry into the city was forbidden. From the opposite direction came 10 trucks from Nablus in order to receive the food. They were stopped about 200 meters from the convoy coming from Israel. The local commander prohibited the transfer of the food. How long would the two convoys remain there - unknown.

One of the drivers told us that he had been waiting near the checkpoint for over 24 hours. The situation repeated itself with the taxi drivers. Suddenly, without any explanation, they were forbidden to continue on their way, and were not told when they would be allowed to do so. In addition, they were forbidden to park in the place where they had been stopped, and were instructed to leave, without any explanation.

At most of the checkpoints there are no Arabic-speaking soldiers. As we know, a substantial percentage of Palestinians don't speak Hebrew, and of course the lack of communication creates problems. The connection between our soldiers and the population is expressed mainly in the giving of orders. There is no personal and human relationship, the soldiers don't talk to them and of course don't smile.

We must change the treatment of the Palestinian population. We must invest as much as possible in briefing the soldiers. They also look sloppy, dressed in overalls without insignia and wearing shoes that haven't been polished for a long time.

At the same time, I had the impression that the soldiers have no protection in the area of the checkpoint. Although they wear flak jackets, they can be fired on without being able to defend themselves. The checkpoints are dominated by the surrounding hills, which are not held by IDF soldiers.

I have no doubt that our soldiers are wonderful young people and excellent fighters. However, I am convinced that we are doing them an injustice by placing them in a difficult and sometimes impossible situation. They are liable to be discharged from their military service with difficult emotional baggage that may affect their personality development in the future.

In summary: I am doubtful whether the checkpoints have in fact prevented the passage of a terrorist or of weapons. Every checkpoint can be bypassed. I have the impression that the only purpose of the checkpoints is to make things hard for the Palestinian population. I am convinced that the checkpoints constitute a breeding ground for hatred for Israel, and harm an innocent population in an inhumane manner.

During the course of our tour of the checkpoints, we also saw the separation fence. In principle, I am in favor of a fence within the boundaries of the Green Line. The present route, which cuts Palestinian villages in half, is causing an additional injustice to the population and is intensifying the hatred towards us.

All in all, for the sake of the Palestinians, but mainly for our own sake, the faster we end the occupation and leave the territories, the better for us. I am writing this because it is impossible to stand by and remain silent.

- The writer was a major general in the IDF [Israeli Defence Force] and a mayor of Tel Aviv.

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