Eliyahu Crossing, Eyal Crossing, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Mon 27.2.12, Morning
3:30 Eliyahu checkpoint
We went to see whether it still functions as a crossing for Palestinians entering Israel. It’s empty; clearly, Palestinians don’t go through here to Israel.
Dalya went there later the same day. She reported that only about 100 people with land in the Alfei Menasheh area are now allowed to cross through Eliyahu. They arrive at 05:00, and there’s almost no line because there aren’t many of them. Inspection is always very rigorous.
03:45 Eyal checkpoint
Very many vehicles bringing people to their workplaces were already waiting in the parking lot. A military armored vehicle was also there, something we hadn’t seen here for a long time. A soldier who approached us said there had been an alert regarding women having been removed from their cars and being left by the roadside. It was clear that the two soldiers who emerged from the car carefully checked the whole area of the checkpoint and its surroundings before they drove on.
The checkpoint apparently opens at 04:00, because people emerging from the inspection building began going through at 04:10. They came in dribs and drabs – 25 people in five minutes. This time we were permitted to observe the entry to the checkpoint and saw that the rate of people emerging was similar to the rate at which they entered. Here at Eyal was none of the congestion and crowding we’re familiar with at Irtach from the moment that checkpoint opens. One of the managers of the checkpoint who accompanied us said that an average of some 4300 people cross here daily; they know that the rate at which people are inspected is constant and continuous, so they arrive slightly later. And in fact, only at around 04:30-04:45 did the rate increase to 25 people per minute.
04:50 Irtach
Both the entrance to the checkpoint and the exit from the inspection building are congested. One of the inspectors at the entrance usually detains one of the people in each group coming through the electric revolving gate and tells him over the loudspeaker – so everyone hears – to empty his bag or carryall. It seems to us primarily a way of controlling people. The result is to delay and keep people there longer. Three people were turned back; we weren’t able to determine why. Many people we spoke with complained that family members or friends didn’t receive permits to work in Israel, or that they’ve been blacklisted for a long time. Nur handed out notes we’d prepared in advance with Sylvia’s phone number; many people took them. Feelings of helplessness and despair colored most of our conversations.
Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing This checkpoint, also known as the Fruit Crossing, is one of the main checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank. It is located on Route 55 between Alfei Menashe and the turn to Qalqilya and Zufin, more than 4 km east of the Green Line, in the separation fence, which separates Qalqilya from its lands to the south, thus leaving Alfei Menashe West of the fence - the Seam Zone. This checkpoint, a few kilometers across the Green Line, is intended for "Israeli settlement in the West Bank and the population of the Seam Zone." It is managed by a civil company. Palestinians with a special permit for their lands in the seam area are also allowed to pass through it, on foot, and sometimes by car.
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Eyal Checkpoint / Crossing
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Eyal Checkpoint is intended for pedestrians and Palestinians only. This is the main barrier for workers to cross from the center of the West Bank. Workers with a work permit to enter Israel can pass through it for trade, medicine, and visiting prisoners. The checkpoint was built on the Green Line north of Qalqilya in the separation barrier that surrounds the city. The checkpoint began operating in 2004 by the military. Opening hours on weekdays from 04:00 to 19:00. We started holding shifts there in 2007. We arrived at the checkpoint before it opened at 4 in the morning. We reported on the difficult conditions and the long and cramped queues of workers who must continue their journey by commuting to work throughout Israel. At the end of June 2009, the checkpoint was operated by a civil security company, The transit time has been gradually shortened, today it is faster, but the Palestinians still have to arrive very early to make it to the transportation. Usually, about 15,000 people pass through.
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Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)
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The checkpoint is for Palestinians only. It is the main barrier to the passage of workers from the northern West Bank to Israel. Workers with a permit to work in Israel and also for trade (with appropriate permissions), medicine, and visiting prisoners. One can cross the checkpoint only on foot. The checkpoint is located north of Road 557 and south of Tulkarm. Operated by a civil security company, opening hours: between 4:00 and 19:00 on weekdays. As members of Machsom Watch, we began our shifts to this location in 2007. We arrived before it opened at 4 in the morning and report since, on the harsh conditions and the long and crowded queues of workers. The workers who pass by continue their journey by transportation to work throughout Israel. In the first period of its activity, about 3,000 and then 5,000 people passed through this checkpoint every day. Due to the small number of checking points and arbitrary delays for long periods of time in the "rooms", workers feared losing their transportation. Hence workers leave their homes at 2:30 at night to be among the first. Today, 15,000 pass and the transition is faster. Workers are still leaving their homes very early to get past the checkpoint at 7 p.m. In an adjacent compound, there is a terminal for the transfer of goods on a commercial scale, using the back-to-back method.
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