Hamra (Beqaot), Tayasir
13:40 We pass the checkpoint at Bezek.
The ascent to Tayasir
The sky is blue, the air is clean and fresh after last night's rain, the wet slopes are covered in fuzzy green.
Goats and cattle are grazing in all the open areas and along the road. On the road, spots of mud are reminders of streaming water and erosion. The view is magnificent, but still, the occupation in all its ugliness is present everywhere.
Hammam-al-Maliah
Next to the road, a car with a reporter and a photographer from the Jordanian television is parking. We stop to ask questions. They are here to report about the occupation. One of the residents confirms that indeed, in the summer they moved west because of the heat and the fast. The reporter says that he does not know of a shepherd having been shot and killed by soldiers from the army base opposite the' hammam' (the hot spring).
14:10 Tayasir
The big bulldozer is still parked on the side of the road. There are 3 soldiers and an officer at the check post. One of them asks us who we are. He says that we cannot take pictures, since this is army territory. The soldiers make a phone call to inquire what to do with us. We do not know the answer. We stay at the checkpoint for half an hour. There is not much traffic, cars and taxes cross in both directions. ID cards, and sometimes the inside of the cars, are checked. No army vehicles are driving on the road.
14:40 We leave
The Alon Road 578
The roadwork next to the Gochia gate and along the rampart has proved effective at creating a moat full with water. Eroded soil is blocking the road south of the Bekaot settlement. One of the national companies for road construction is clearing the soil away.
15:05 Hamra
There is not much traffic. At most, there are 2-3 cars waiting in line. We already know that most people arrive after 16:00 when they reach the junction on their way home from work. Two army policemen approach us asking who we are and then return to the checkpost on the road. The whole junction is covered with a slippery layer of mud.
15:40 We leave.
A strong smell of sewage is coming from the wadi below the Maskiot settlement.
16:00 Bezek
They ask us where we come from. We leave.
Hamra (Beqaot)
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One of the Jordan Rift Valley checkpoints that prevent direct transit between the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, in addition to Tayasir Checkpoint. Located next to Hamra settlement, on Route 57 and the Allon Road.
Read about the peple of the Jordan Valley and the quiet transfer happening there.
Shahar ShilohNov-3-2021Ein Shibli: grazing begins close to home
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Tayasir CP
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Located on road 5799, It is one of the checkpoints control the passage between the northern West Bank and the Jordan Valley. For a long time, it stood empty and open, with only a sign next to it warning against entering Area A. It was adjacent to an old military camp - now everything is neglected. How much money was invested here, and how much brainwashing was done to the soldiers of Netzah Yehuda and Kfir.
Today, it is very difficult to pass there. Many delays. Often, teachers from Tubas are not allowed to pass into the Valley to villages like Ein al-Bida where the local schools are located, and there are no classes. There are additional days when the checkpoint is closed. In general, there is a wait there of about two to four hours to go towards the Valley and also to return. Many times the Palestinians are forced to use the Hamra checkpoint, which also leads into Tubas and the West Bank, but there is also a huge queue there and a long wait.
Following a deadly attack on soldiers at the nearby base in February 2025, the checkpoint was completely closed for the time being. (Updated March 2025)
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