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...
Reihan, Shaked, Sun 14.3.10, Afternoon
14/03/2010 ,Afternoon
Hana H., Ruti T.
Reihan
Translation: Bracha B.A.
Shaked-Tura Checkpoint
"We're here for no reason." (This was stated by a soldier, who added that he sees no reason for this checkpoint.)
There is only one young man waiting to cross to the seamline zone. He is a student who claims that on Saturday morning he was detained for longer than usual at the checkpoint and is constantly late for lectures at the University of Jenin as a result.
14:40 – A car comes in to be checked and leaves after three minutes. By 15:55 a person crossed through to the West Bank on a bicycle, and a man and small child crossed to the seamline zone.
16:00-17:20
“’That's the way the Jews are."
In the upper parking lot there are two vans and a car departing for Barta'a. We walked down to the lower parking lot. A small truck with four passengers crosses to the West bank within three minutes. A van enters from the other side and waits at the first station to be checked.
Hana calls what goes on here "waiting for a minyan." Every car that arrives is not permitted to proceed to the inspection point. Instead they wait for several cars to accumulate and the passengers who arrived after several minutes had to wait in line for 45 minutes to an hour.
When we asked one of the passengers why this was so he said, "That's the way the Jews are." We waited with them until 17:17 when the gate to the inspection facility finally opened and one car, a taxi, and two transits all drove out at once. On the other hand, passage through the terminal was fast because only workers from the seamline zone were returning to their homes in the West bank since workers were not permitted to enter Israel today because of the closure.
Someone calls our attention to what was going on in the parking lot. The police from Jenin were present and were confiscating ID cards belonging to people who had not paid traffic fines that they received in Israel.
Atarot checkpoint 24.01.109
Atarot checkpoint 24.01.10
Atarot checkpoint 24.01.10
Atarot checkpoint 24.01.10
