Jalama, Aanin, Shaked, Rihan, Monday, August 28, 2006, AMObservers: Anna NS, Netta G (reporting)06:00 – 09:20Jalama, 06:00 – 06:20 The closure is over. Workers passing through to Israel have new permits as of 21.8.06. The checkpoint was opened, according to the soldier on guard duty, around 05:40. One inspection station is functioning in the gigantic terminal. Workers, men and women, are passing through, content with the reasonable pace. We do not see any accumulation of people waiting in the shed.According to the soldier, 300 to 400 people cross every day. Families of prisoners were expected, but the buses have not yet arrived.In front of the back-to-back checkpoint, which is still closed, one semi-trailer is waiting.We leave early to be in time to observe Aanin.Aanin, 07:00 – 07:45 Signs of autumn… Squills are flowering on the way to the checkpoint.The gates are open. They were opened at 06:00. Men, women and a few children are crossing. Some approach us, concerned that they haven’t yet received the new permits. The one they have will expire at the end of the month. Others ask help in obtaining permits for “prohibited” family members.We discern a tractor where the inspection is taking a long time. Finally it passes, and the owner, a disabled man, complains that his two sons were not allowed to cross with him. The reservist who is on security duty clarifies (we are not allowed to approach the checking station), and says that the sons tried to transfer forbidden sacks. At the request of the father, the soldier goes again to the checking station, and one son is allowed through to help the man with his work.The place is manned by reservists called on emergency orders to replace their predecessors who were called up for the war in Lebanon.We leave the checkpoint before the transit of workers comes to an end, in order to pass by Shaked before it closes.A telephone call to the District Coordination Office elicits the information that the new agricultural permits will be issued on September 1. The olive harvest will begin in mid-September, and then Aanin will be open every day. Barta’a Checkpoint will also be open for the harvest. We will try to follow up on tha Shaked, 07:55 – 08:00 The checkpoint is still open. Nobody is passing through at this hour. The soldiers say that about 20 people went through in both directions. The school year begins on September 2. Rihan, 08:10 – 09:20 Bored drivers are waiting in the “Israeli” parking lot. Nobody is coming out of the terminal sleeve. We descend to the terminal opening, and we can see why. Breakfast break! Some 20 people are waiting in front of the gate of the Palestinian parking lot.At 08:30 transit resumes. The woman soldier in the hut makes sure that the waiting people stand behind the checking station behind the gate. They are called in pairs. Children don’t count. They can accompany their parents. The passage is quite fast, 5-7 minutes from entry to exit of the terminal.At the vehicle checkpoint, two loaded tenders are being checked in parallel. Only one tender is waiting in the Palestinian lot.One of the drivers tells us that the checkpoint at Yaabed, on the side close to Mevo Dotan, is open from 07:00 to 19:00. From then till morning, the checkpoint on the other side of Yaabed is open.