Youngsters and students

13:30 Bazak CP

It is still hot and dry. And dusty.

13:30 Hamrah CP

Many workers are going through in buses of every size. People greet us through the windows. The passage is quick.

Several soldiers are sitting at the side. Sounds of talk and laughter are heard. Three or four cars which have gone through had signs of international organizations – UN, OXFAM.

One of the passengers of the taxi which was waiting near us (during the time it takes for ten people to take off their belts and to put them through the loopholes again) told us that he is the victim of Rabin's instructions to the soldiers in the days of the first Intifada [When the Intifada broke out, Rabin said that 'we must break their bones'.]. He was a boy when threw a few rocks and was caught. Since then the broken bone never returned to its proper place.

The CP commander, whom we know from previous visits to the CP, came up to us. This time he approached us in order to hear about the conversation we had with the passengers of that taxi. He wanted to know if they told us something about the CP, We asked him if something had happened that they should have told us – and he said no! He also felt that he had to notify us that he is completely at peace with all of his military activities, and that is the way it would be in the future.

 14:50We left

 15:15Tyasir CP

A truck with concrete, a truck with a pump, a truck with straw, and a pickup truck, are all waiting.

From the west: The two CPs on the road have been removed. The spikes have been pulled out of the road. When a vehicle arrives from the west, the bars of the CP rise and the spikes disappear into their hiding place under the road. At long last, after a very long time, we had the privilege once again of seeing this toy in action.

We discovered a young man sitting on the edge of the road under the observation tower. He is not handcuffed and his eyes are open. No soldier tried to prevent us from going up to the post of the pedestrians. From the radio, we heard a voice saying: "behave courteously toward them" (to us????). The commander and a soldier refused to answer questions, but still we understood that the young fellow, who is "wanted", has been waiting for "an hour and a half", and that he "will sit there as long as is necessary". Who will take him? How do they know that he is "wanted"? A soldier walks up to the detainee and offers him a bottle of water.

15:50We left.

 16:15  Bazak CP

7:10 (Just remembered: A telephone call to the DCO. A woman clerk answers, saying that she has not received any report about a detainee at the CP. Since we had no details about the fellow who was 'wanted', we could not find out about his situation.

Shaked-Tura Checkpoint 07:30-08:00

There is a lot of traffic - pedestrians, cars, and herds of goats.  Crossing is quick but since the inspection booth can hold only one person at a time there is some delay.

There are a few new buildings: a concrete roadblock on the road, one near the inspection point, and one on the above the inspection position.

Several people told us that a woman soldier in the inspection booth was behaving badly.  They explained that she was worse than anyone before and one man said that it was all he could do to keep from shouting at her.

Reihan-Barta'a Checkpoint – 08:10-09:00

Here, too, there is a lot of traffic in both directions but crossing is quick.  One of the people walking past asked us to help his brother. At the end of the conversation we gave him one of the bilingual cards that we had printed recently. This was a good idea and we should have made them sooner. Good for those who made them!

A woman student from Jissar a-Zarka, in Israel, attempted to cross the checkpoint with a lot of belongings, accompanied by her father. She was planning on going to Jenin where she was beginning her fourth year of study. After her father left she got to the window and was told that her permit was no longer valid and that she could not cross.  We called Sharon, the manager of the checkpoint, who explained that students can only cross the Barta'a checkpoint if they are on a list approved by the university, and he had not yet received this year's list.   She might be able to cross at Jalameh.  We helped her call her father and left her at the entrance to the sleeve, hopefully she managed to get to Jenin.

Translator:  Charles K.

Summary:  As September 20 approaches, the Jordan Valley prepares for war!!!  Thousands of soldiers, tanks, firing positions.  Primarily near the checkpoints.  Does Israel intend to fire from tanks on the people it thinks will try to come through the checkpoints?  What, exactly, is Israel planning?  And that’s in addition to false arrests, not opening the Gochia checkpoint and destroying wells in Area A.

13:30  Shomron gate

A bus carrying some 30 Palestinians, apparently people who stayed illegally in Israel and were caught, and are now being released back to the West Bank.  Since this is an apartheid road, there’s no Palestinian traffic on it so they can’t hitch a ride.  They begin walking east about 7 kilometers on the side of the highway, to the nearest locality, in danger from the speeding traffic, during the hottest hours of the Palestinian summer.  Their only sin is their desire to support their families.  Further down the road we saw two more Palestinians trudging along, apparently from an earlier batch.

14:15  Ma’aleh Efraim

Manned, after a long period during which it was unmanned.  The internationals told us that two days ago it was also manned.  Cars in both directions are carefully inspected – documents and contents.

14:30  Hamra checkpoint

No cars at all, so we didn’t stop.  On our way back (at 17:30) there were no cars coming from the Jordan Valley but there were cars from the west which were carefully inspected as they went through.  The internationals said (and confirmed what they said by showing us photographs) that the army established a number of sandbagged firing positions on the hill above the checkpoint, facing the West Bank.  Probably to confront the army of the elderly and children that will march to the checkpoint.  Or not.  Palestinians tell me that they’re not making any preparations or organizing to do so.  My fear is that even if there are no demonstrations, the very fact of preparations for war will tempt the army to use the force it possesses, and we’re talking about innocent civilians.

Gochia checkpoint

We observed from a distance but saw no Palestinians going through.  But we couldn’t see whether or not the army jeep arrived.  Recently we’ve received reports that the checkpoint hasn’t opened at all.  Maybe that’s why the Palestinians have given up and stopped coming.  Many soldiers and a tank next to the checkpoint.  Preparations for September 20?  Isn’t placing a tank where civilians and children cross a provocation?  Do they intend to use tanks?  Against whom?

More, from the following day – 14.9.11: 

A Palestinian told me that the tank stands next to the Gochia checkpoint, which was open all day.  He thinks they even dismantled the gate.  The rumor spread and Palestinians crossed freely but apprehensively to the West Bank.  I assume that the intent is to erect a more massive checkpoint to replace the metal barrier.  But the truth is that the size of the gate isn’t important, since the gate stands in the middle of nowhere, and even if they erect a gate that matches the prison in which inhabitants of the Jordan Valley have been trapped, how hard could it be to go around it?

We visited the Salamin family next to the settlement of Beqa’ot, whose sons were arrested a number of times last week (details at the end).  While we were there, a Beqa’ot security jeep showed up (driven by a Druze security man), drove around the encampment threateningly, and left, leaving us in the midst of a cloud of dust.

At 15:55, as we were leaving after our visit, the Beqa’ot jeep came toward us near to the settlement’s vineyards.  The security person signaled us to stop, asked who we are and what we were doing, but although we identified ourselves, he refused to identify himself and told us that it’s a closed military area and we’re not allowed to be here.  We made it clear to him that in the absence of an order from the commanding general this isn’t a closed military area.  He warned us not to dare return (we’re not talking about the settlement’s land, but the Palestinians’ grazing lands which, although they’re defined as firing ranges, like the entire Jordan Valley, this particular dirt road isn’t a firing range – because of its proximity to the settlement’s fields).  The jeep drove off and to block our route where the dirt path joins the main road.  We drove around it and continued to Tayasir.  Right after the turn to Tayasir an army jeep showed up, a soldier got out, came over to us and said that the security man from Beqa’ot photographed my car’s license plate and called the army.  The soldier said we weren’t permitted to be in the area of Salamin because it’s a closed military area.  We asked him to show us the order, which doesn’t exist, of course, so we informed him that we’ll continue to go there because it’s not a closed military area, and drove off.

16:15 – Tayasir checkpoint

Seven cars in line.  The checkpoint is closed.  People waiting say they’ve been there half an hour.  They waited ten more minutes after we arrived until the checkpoint opened.  We saw that there had been a change of shifts, but does the checkpoint have to close for that, and for how long?

After the checkpoint opened, cars coming from the West Bank were inspected – documents and contents.  Pedestrians were carefully checked and came angrily through the checkpoint (because of the long wait, I assume).  The documents of passengers in the cars crossing from the Jordan Valley to the West Bank were inspected, and the lines continued.

An old man and his wife reached the soldiers’ position without having been summoned to advance.  He was punished and sent all the way back to wait at the imaginary line –“The Palestinians know where it is.”  He waited five minutes before being called forward to be inspected, where they told him to get out of the car, but he had difficulty getting out.  It turned out that he’s not only old, but also handicapped.  That didn’t particularly bother the soldiers, who made him open the trunk.  The old man tottered over with difficulty and did what they asked, but it wasn’t enough – now open the hood.  The old man did it with great effort.  Finally they made him bring the documents from the car, which seems to have been the only other thing they could think of, and despite their boredom they allowed him to continue.  When we left at 16:55 there were four cars on line from the west and four from the east.

Addition to the report regarding the arrest of three members of the Salamin family

All we could understand from talking to one of the others (the brother who got lost doesn’t remember the incident) is that the army left him on the road and he was ultimately picked up by the Palestinian police who’d found him at two in the morning.  He’d wandered, confused, for 18 hours, aimlessly, not knowing where he was – he’d forgotten everything.  Eyewitnesses saw him in the afternoon near Zbeidat, on Route 90 and near Ain al Bidan, near Nablus (where he was finally picked up by the Palestinian police).

On Thursday, 8.9.11, one of the brothers (Udai) was arrested again, this time together with his 14-year-old nephew, next to his home, accused of bypassing the Gochia checkpoint without a permit.  When he asked why he’d bypass the gate, since he lives to its east, which is where he is, there was no answer.  The soldiers handcuffed him and blindfolded him with a strip of flannel cloth used for cleaning weapons.  He was detained for four hours at the Hamra checkpoint while we tried to get the DCO officers, who’d come for that reason to the Hamra checkpoint, to do something about it.  The two youths were released at the Hamra checkpoint; it took them another hour and a half to get home, without money, without documents, at a location without public transportation and almost no Palestinian traffic.

On Friday, 9.9.11, Udai was arrested again, this time together with another shepherd, Razi, from the Abu Sakar family.  They were handcuffed, beaten severely and blindfolded.  The reason – they hadn’t any identification.  One of them said he’d run home (200 meters away) to bring the documents, but the soldiers refused to relinquish their prey.  They were released two hours later, after the DCO intervened.

Destruction of wells in Nasariyya – report by the internationals

In Nasariyya, in Area B, the army destroyed three large wells, after having destroyed wells in the area last week as well.  Nasariyya is located on the road between the Hamra checkpoint and Nablus, west of the checkpoint.

Translator:  Charles K.

6:00  About 200 men waiting outside in three long lines.  About 50 men and women wait at the closed humanitarian gate.  All five lanes inside are open and about 30 people wait on each of them.

We meet two female Norwegian volunteers in the plaza; they’d arrived at 5:00 AM and say that the crossing went pretty quickly.

The humanitarian gate opened right after we arrived and all 50 people who were waiting entered.  The gate stayed open; it wasn’t clear whether because of a problem with the lock or in order to ease the crossing.  During the course of 30 minutes, an additional 175 people went through the humanitarian crossing, including 30 women and 20 children.

The revolving gates also opened right when we arrived, and then every 5 minutes.  About 300 people went through the revolving gates in the course of half an hour, until the line completely disappeared.  Nor did there seem to be any congestion on the inspection lines inside.

A man who arrived at 6:10 told us over the phone that he exited on the Israeli side at 6:45 – 35 minutes total.

6:20  People cross very quickly.  “Only” 60 men are now on line at the humanitarian gate, which hasn’t closed.  People continue crossing individually as soon as they get to the shed.

6:30  300 people went through the revolving gates and 220 through the humanitarian gate during the half hour we were at the checkpoint – 17-18 per minute.

During the same period, about 600 people went through the five inspection lanes (including people who were inside when we arrived).  On average (by a rough estimate), it took a quarter of a minute per person for the inspection 

There was no line at all when we left, and about ten people waited inside at each inspection lane.

6:40  The vehicle checkpoint is crowded; you can’t see the end of the line.

We decided to go to the children’s plaza at Anata.  We took the shorter route, via Hizma checkpoint and Pisgat Ze’ev.  We got stuck in morning traffic on Route 60, when everyone is going south to Jerusalem (Israelis), or toward Jericho/Bethlehem (Palestinians) at the same time.

The trip, which would ordinarily take 15 minutes with no traffic, took us 50 minutes this time!

Anata checkpoint

7:30  There’s a large plaza just past the Anata checkpoint ; school transportation for all the pupils from the neighborhood leaves from there.  The scene – of pupils streaming into the plaza and then onto their buses – is amazing.  Whenever we’re able to get there between 7:15-7:45, we hurry to the most rational part of the occupation (in relative terms).  Today we arrived right on time.

Some of the 3000 pupils who travel to school each morning from Anata have already left, but about 2000 are still wandering around the area, representatives of the neighborhood committee looking out for their safety, overseeing the flow of buses into the plaza, sending the children to the right buses – as well as making sure they behave.

The committee chairman, who’s there every morning and every afternoon, explained that they make sure the children aren’t rowdy, won’t fight with each other, and in particular that they don’t throw stones at police and military vehicles.

7:50  There are almost no more children in the plaza - 2-3 more buses and then even the latecomers will be on their way to get an education.  We spoke to the chairman of the committee who told us the new checkpoint has been under construction here for two years and is scheduled to open very soon.  He’s worried about problems, because people might have trouble getting used to the new, computerized checkpoint.  We asked him to call us ahead of time when he finds out when it will open, and we’ll try to come and help as much as we can.

We looked around.  Many giant new buildings have been constructed on the hill.  The chairman says the price of a spacious apartment in the new buildings is about ten percent of the price of a similar apartment in Jerusalem.  Unbelievable.  The materials alone would be more expensive!

Our interlocutor amazed us as we were about to part when he cited a Hebrew phrase whose meaning many young Israelis wouldn’t have known had they seen it on the university entrance exam:  “How long shall the wicked exult?”

Translation: Bracha B.A.

Reihan Checkpoint – 05:55

The women workers are ascending the sleeve towards the waiting cars and are smiling.  "Today is OK - it only took us a half hour to get through."   People are coming out quickly and there are two operating windows inside the terminal.  A pregnant student who crosses from Barta'a to Jenin every day confides that she is concerned about passing through the X-ray machine every day.  We called Sharon, the checkpoint manager, who ensured us that the machine is safe

We met a man who has a job request from a contractor in Hadera, but he has been forced to run back and forth between Salem and the employment agency in Hadera, with no results so far. 

There are workers who live near the Shaked checkpoint who work in the Shahak industrial zone near the settlement of Shaked, but since that checkpoint only opens at 07:00 they have to cross at Reihan checkpoint.  Since they must return via the same checkpoint at which they left, they have to travel to Reihan both times.

06:30 – Fewer people are coming out.  The terminal is empty and people are crossing through quickly.

Shaked-Tura Checkpoint

Ramadan is over and the clocks in the West Bank are once again synchronized with Israel.  The checkpoint opens at 07:03 and about 15 people enter from the West Bank side.  The first person comes out on the seamline zone side at 07:10 and people come out every 1-2 minutes.  At 07:15 children from the "lone house" arrive at the checkpoint.  There are so many boulders and walls that it is difficult to see how they are checked.   A van arrives with 23 children, and a woman soldier checks their bags while three armed security guards look on.  The children and the van cross within 5 minutes.  At 07:30 cars cross through in both directions. 

We returned to Haifa with 3 small children accompanied by their mother and uncle and drove them to Rambam Hospital.  The father is unable to come because is barred from entering Israel for 6 months.  He did not receive a work permit because he was not yet 30 years old (he was two months short of 30).  Since he has three sick children and needed NIS 200 each week to cover their medical expenses, he took his chances and went to work in Israel anyway.  He was caught and faced trial.  His attorney fought for him and a humane judge sentenced him to only 6 months probation during which he is barred from entering Israel (instead of two years).   . 

Translation:  Suzanne O.

Id el Fitr – Festival.  Very few coming and going.

Habla, agricultural gate

7:25 a.m. 

A vehicle is parked.  Many soldiers are present.  4 people leave the inspection building, dressed in their 'Sunday best', "Going to the Police Station" (?)  7 minutes later the roadblock gate opens and the parked car goes on its way.  The reason for the vehicle being held up is a mistake in the vehicle licence number in the driver's permit so they had to wait for the vehicle owners to arrive and take it across.

There is light traffic to and from the roadblock of cars, a tractor and people.  The gate will remain open until 9:00 a.m., open again at 12:00 p.m., until 1:00 p.m. and in the evening from 5:45 p.m., until 7:00 p.m.

Eliyahu Crossing

6:05 a.m. 

Clear on both sides.

Azzun

8:10 a.m. 

The yellow iron barrier in the village is open.  Youngsters sitting near it said that everything is fine, no problems.

Jayyus

8:25 a.m. 

The shops are closed, there are no people around.  It rained the whole night and now it is just drizzling.

We heard about a new Shabak commander, his name is Rafik, (we wonder if his ethnic group gets privileges for his devoted service) and he sets up a spot roadblock [once every few days, several times a day] at the entrance to the village.  He takes young boys of 14, 15, 16 into the Shabak cars and coax them to become informers through threats or enticement (I'll give you a work permit and entrance to Israel – promises he obviously cannot fulfil at his level) so that they co-operate with the Shabak and inform on the inhabitants.  Using suitable pressure it is possible to get information even if it is lies but this makes no difference to the Shabak, and then they frighten us saying there are warnings.  (See the article published today in the newspaper Ha'aretz about Zigmunt Bauman ' Israelis are afraid of Peace'.)  The inhabitants complain of looting of 9600 dunams which were plundered including 7 wells for the settlement Zufin, close to Kibbutz Ayal, Kokhav Yair and Tsur Natan.  The council was informed that the fence will be moved westward and they will returne2600 dunams, plus one well only, to be divided between the other adjacent villages: Kafr Jammal and Falamiya.

For them to get to their lands in order to work them there is only one gate (927) at Jayyus, which opens for just half an hour three times a day.  The location of the gate takes up a lot of their time getting to their lands.

We drove to Falamiya via Kafr Jammal.  The roads are empty, the shops are closed.  We reached gate 919 at Falamiya.

We met the head of the village at the dividing fence (a Hadj (pilgrim) who has been to Mecca 4 times) who hosted us.  On the security system  road two vehicles drive up and down, they observe us and report on their wireless.  Gate 919 opens just for the olive picking season 3 times a day: 5:00 – 5:30 a.m., 12:00 – 12:30 p.m., and 4:00 to 4:30 p.m.  The final time should be noted: this is when it is still possible to return to the village – there is still plenty of light and much work to do for the olive picking.  We recommend going to the gate during the olive picking season to check on the conditions for crossing while it is functioning.

We drove to see the agricultural gate at Falamiya, gate no. 927.  The gate is open for cars and agricultural machinery.  The inhabitants who have lands beyond the fence must, each period (a month, two months, three, a year – depending on the preference of those allotting permits) request crossing permits at the gate and they can cross only via this gate to their lands, even if prolongs their journey greatly.

We returned via Kur, Baqat al Hatab, Hajja to Al Funduq. At Al Funduq there is heavy traffic and the shops are open.

We drove on Road 5066 in the direction of Emanuel and saw a roadblock at the exit from Haris and a queue of about 10 cars which didn't move at all for some 5 minutes.  We went over and, after the roadblock commander confirmed who we are, the queue moved quickly and disappeared.  One of the drivers told us that he had waited half an hour "just for nothing".  It would be worthwhile for us to turn up there from time to time.

Our recommendation:  to set up patrols on the roads between the villages. 

Translation: Ruth Fleishman

Third Friday of the Ramadan

"Not yet fifty" was the key phrase.

On the morning of the third Friday of the Ramadan all the rule regulating the passage had changed: the criterions were more severe and all praying permits were cancelled. Fifty was the minimum age. Those younger by only a couple of days, men as well as women, with or without permits, were declined passage. Several hours later (at eight o'clock according to the officers), after the thousands that had wished to cross the checkpoint during the morning hours left in desperation, this "equality" between the genders was lifted and only the usual rules regarding women were implemented.

Two different groups were there, the group inside and the one outside.
Various military unites were inside, in the sterile zone, protected from grenades and rifles in the fortified site that was barricaded by metal fences, cement blockings and barbed wire.
While outside, surrounding the site, were thousands of men, women and children that had gathered from all around the West Bank, asking to realize the promise made by the sovereign who is obligated to protect the right for freedom of religion.
Order, discipline and hierarchy controlled the inside group, while the outside group was controlled by surprise, rage and chaos.    

People who had just a couple of days earlier received signed permits from the authorities that were to be used on that day, witnessed how the same hands that gave them their permits, denied both it and them with a simple hand gesture and a rude voice.  
Many men who up until the previous night were old enough to cross, had that morning become a threat, they ran helplessly between the gates, holding their documents out as evidence of their right, trying their luck for the second, the third and the fourth time.
But the gates and cracks were tighter than ever. The sterility was backed up with fishers' nets (in the military lingo) and almost no loopholes were to be found. The few, mostly teenage girls, that managed to slip passed the first row of soldiers, were caught soon enough and sent back through the "gate of the denied" which was a kind of "revolving door".
People from east Jerusalem found it hard to get back home: "not yet fifty" was the key phrase…

Among the people who were trying their luck was a person who two weeks earlier was framed by the soldiers, an event which we witnessed. The person told us that at the beginning he was taken to the police station at the checkpoint, from there he was transferred to Atarot and at the end of the day he found himself incarcerated in Ofer. In the mean time, while making their way from one place to the other, the people transferring him beat him. It was only on Sunday, two day after his arrest, that he was released on a 5,000 Shekel bail.
The link to the video documenting the event:
http://www.mahsanmilim.com/ramadan2011.htm
Two of the senior officers that commanded and supervised the event had a conversation: "Lots persons who are illegally staying in Israel cross here!..." said one to the other and they both nodded. Worried in face of the many people cramped up and the few that managed to pass, when the only criterion was the age specified on the person's ID, they didn't seem uncomfortable nor did they seem to dwell on the absurdity of the sight before them.

As the hours passed and the hour of the prayer in Jerusalem approached, the checkpoint was closed to elder men as well. It was the hour in which even the person's age didn't matter anymore. At the eastern side of the site, those who stood at the men's gate keeled on the ground and prayed in front of cement bricks, barricades, barbed wire and heavy machinery, before the eyes of the soldiers who saw and ignored this.  

Usually, at that point the laws regulating the passage are once again as before. However, this wasn't the case on that Friday. Closure was the regulation that faced those who waited for it to be noon, so that they could cross with use of their permits to Jerusalem. They were denied and sent home in shame, with a sound of the fortified soldier behind the front window, screaming at them.

Jordan Valley, 26.6.11, afternoon

Translator:  Charles K.

An unusual traffic jam outside of Ariel.  At the Palestinian grocery on our way back we learned there had been a suspicious object.

Za’tara junction 12:30 

The central plaza is empty.  Soldiers inspect vehicles coming from Huwwara.  No line.

Hamra checkpoint 13:00

Six cars waiting from our direction.  As soon as we arrived inspections began and the line vanished.

An army Hummer at the junction.

A Palestinian approached us; his attempt to obtain a permit to work in one of the settlements was refused by the Israeli DCO without explanation.  We referred him to Sylvia.

Bags filled with garbage are scattered along the road in front of the checkpoint, indicating that someone takes care of cleaning up, at least near the checkpoint.

The earthen berm preventing vehicles from going west from the Alon road begins right after the checkpoint and continues to the Gochia gate.  We can see that work goes on to make it higher.  Physical separation of the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank is the implementation of the political position that the Jordan Valley will remain under Israeli control, even if and when territory will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority.

Near the Maskiyot settlement

We visited a family living opposite the settlement, not far before Qadri’s encampment.  They said there hadn’t been any problems recently with the Maskiyot settlers.  They also called our attention to the ongoing expansion of Maskiyot along the ridge on which it sits.  The new blue tent is actually a shed.  The women said they heard people singing in it.  Apparently it’s used for public events.

Tayasir checkpoint  14:20

Five cars waited in line on our side (east of the checkpoint) when we arrived.  Because we weren’t flying flags, and stopped behind a truck, the soldiers at the checkpoint didn’t see us.  We waited 15 minutes, and not a single car went through – that is, the checkpoint wasn’t operating.  The number of cars waiting rose to 15.  All that in the oppressive heat of the Jordan Valley.  The Palestinian cars didn’t have air conditioning.  We didn’t know when this break had begun.  In the meantime we called Zaharan, from the DCO, and the humanitarian office to file a complaint (which they will do what with???).  As we said, inspections began 15 minutes following our arrival, but only on our side.  Cars stood on the western side (we couldn’t see how many), and only after 17 more minutes did their inspection begin.  We spoke to the driver of the first car.  A young man with two small children, aged 2 or 3.  With no air conditioning.  He’s returning from taking the children for medical treatment.  This morning as well, when he went through the checkpoint in the opposite direction, he waited about half an hour with the sick children.  He says the wait is longer at night, sometimes an hour, even though there’s no line at all.

Five minutes after inspections began on the western side only one car had crossed.  The second, a taxi, is still being inspected.  The checkpoint commander doesn’t answer our questions.  Maybe the phone calls helped after all…

We leave for the Gochia gate.  We’re running late today.

Gochia gate  15:10

An army jeep at the gate.  The gate is open.  The soldiers say a tractor crossed.

Ma’aleh Efraim checkpoint  15:55

There hadn’t been any soldiers at the entry gate to the Jordan Valley when we came earlier.  Now there are.  No vehicle crossed from the West Bank when we went through; they’re inspected.

Za’tara junction  16:10

A police vehicle (Border Police) in the central plaza, two army vehicles and a Palestinian vehicle.  We enter to see what’s going on.

Five young men in the Palestinian car.  They’ve been detained by Border Police personnel and their ID’s taken for inspection.  When we approached they got their ID’s back.  They were frightened, didn’t answer our questions and left immediately at the order of the Border Police.

A religious man wandered around the plaza and photographed us with his cellphone.  Then he had a friendly talk with the Border Police, who then came over to deal with us.  First they, too, photographed us with their cellphone and asked for our ID’s.  They began to explain that it’s a military area, and the tiresome argument about our place at the checkpoints began again.  Because in any case we’d finished what we came to do, we left.  Incidentally:  the religious guy is the security coordinator for one of the settlements.  His job has some acronym, we don’t have an acronym, so what he’s allowed we’re forbidden.