Since 2001 we have observed dozens of army checkpoints on paved and unpaved roads in the West Bank, the Jordan Valley and along the Separation Fence; Civil Administration offices which grant permits to Palestinians; and military courts trying Palestinian prisoners. We stand at the checkpoints observing the behavior of soldiers and Palestinians without interfering, intervening only when soldiers behave offensively to Palestinians. Then we try to speak to the soldiers themselves or telephone...

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'Anabta, Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), Te'enim Crossing, Wed 3.3.10, Afternoon

Date: 03/03/2010 ,Afternoon

Observers: Shlomit B., Aliyah S. reporting

Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)

On the Green Line north of Route 557 and south of Tulkarm, operated by a civilian manpower company. Serves as exit and entry gate for workers from Tulkarm in Israel, and for transit of commercial quantities of goods by back-to-back method.

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   Translation: Aliya S.

15:35 Anabta:
      It was empty and open.

15:45 "Te'enim Crossing"
(There is a new sign up with a new name. It sounds better in Hebrew.)
      There were no problems that we could see.

15::50 Irtah (Ephraim Gate)
       The gate into the parking lot was open, the parking lot was empty, but no cars were allowed inside! All the vehicles had to let their passengers out outside the gate!
Why! We didn't get an answer. There was a lot of traffic congestion right outside the gate, where as before the traffic flowed quite smoothly in and out of the parking lot.
        The turnstile was open and the workers were going through easily and quickly. In the entrance hall none of the windows were manned and the workers weren't checked.
One worker said that the checkpoint coming back to Irtah was fine.
Another worker told us that in the morning the passage went well.
It's good to hear some positive things.