23 Nov rumers of gun fire

A few fireworks went off afternoon on 23 Nov in Huwarra. A little while later all kinds of occupation forces and vehicles showed up.  Apparently a settler had reported he heard gun fire, or was shot at, as they passed through Huwarra.  Of course the opinion of a passing settler is taken over the opinion of a dozen Palestinians who were present to see the burst of the fireworks.

We stood where we could watch what was happening and be seen watching, to witness.  The occupying forces had congregated around one house, apparently they wanting to talk to the owner who wasn't there (and probably wasn't there when the fireworks wee set off).  

A 6 occupation soldiers walked north away from the general group to a place where the road is even with a shop roof and took up a position there watching both roads.  The shop owner may or may not consent, but this is a roof they can get on to without forcing entrance past a family.

From here the stopped a young male Palestinian asked for identification and questioned him. They let a couple of cars and a woman go by with out stopping them.

We took some pictures and notes. There was a man in a light blue civilian shirt wearing a new olive drab bullet proof vest mixing and talking with the occupation soldiers.  This looked to us like a settler. We took a picture which would have included the settler. Then three occupation soldiers came after us and demanded that the photo be deleted. Even after it was deleted he demanded to see the camera – standing right against the young international woman with the camera and cocked his weapon in a very threatening way (as if cocking a weapon is ever not threatening). Then another occupying soldier snatched the camera from her hand. As they walked away with the camera with us following, one of the soldiers said, you will get it back.  To improve the odds of getting it back I followed along and to push the envelope in walked among the soldiers to the person they handed the camera to.  He was wearing a uniform and a skullcap, but it was not standard issue uniform and it had no rank or unit identity on it, so I assumed he was a settler too. Palestinians thought both people I thought were settlers might be part of the intelligence unit. He demanded what I was doing and I said they had told us we would get the young lady's camera back so I was just saving someone from having to carry it back.  He made some comment like he would smash the camera if he wanted to.  After looking through the pictures on the camera he returned it. To our surprise he had not deleted all the pictures he had not even deleted the pictures of the other soldiers. 

white jeep is intellegence

occupation soldiers stop a Palestininan man

three occupation soldiers can be seen standing on a shop roof over looking the main street in Huwarra, right in front of the biggest mosque