ארתאח (שער אפרים), ג’יוס, חבלה, מעבר אייל, מעבר אליהו, ענבתא, פלאמיה, יום ב’ 12.3.12, בוקר
Eliyahu crosssing, Jayyous, Falamya, Habla, Anabta, Shavei Shomron, Deir Sharaf, 12.3.12, morning
Observers: )
Translator: Charles K.
A few announcements for those observing checkpoints in the central area.
The official plowing season (according to the State of Israel) began on 12.3.12! The seasonal gates are supposed to be opened, in addition to the regular agricultural gates, and some of the opening hours will change. We should go to the seam zone more frequently and see whether they are in fact open.
The situation at the Eyal and Efrayim (Irtach) crossingsis terrible, the lines are very long and congestion is great.
The Palestinians as well at the ecumenical volunteers want us to visit these checkpoints in the morning and try to see what’s happening, and to pressure for improvements. The ecumenical volunteers are at the crossings on Sunday and Thursday.
05:45 Eliyahu crossing (109)
An Israeli flag flies from a new flagpole; the landscaping and upgrading proceed apace.
There are at this hour already five cars in the inspection area with all their doors open, and more than 50 Palestinians crowd on the line to the entrance. We didn’t wait to see how quickly they went through because we hurried to Jayyus before that gate closed.
A flock of storks passes overhead.
05:50 Two police cars stop vehicles on Highway 55, before the turn to 'Azzun.
06:00 Jayyus agricultural crossing, northern gate. The gate is open, no one going through. Bjorn, the Norwegian volunteer we arranged to meet, awaits us.
He hadn’t heard that plowing begins today. As of this hour, few people had crossed.
We talk about the situation. He says that at 3 AM this morning three jeeps and an additional army vehicle entered the village. The soldiers arrested and handcuffed a youth; the family called the volunteers who watched what the soldiers did. It turned out not to be the person the soldiers were seeking; they finally left with no prisoner.
Three bored MP’s and a few soldiers greet us happily; they note that it’s been a while since women from Machsom Watch have come to this gate in the morning. A lively discussion ensues. One of the MPs, who has served in this sector for a number of years, was very offended by a report about behavior toward Palestinians at the checkpoint that he felt was extremely unfair.
06:15 A tractor arrives with spraying equipment. The MP inspects the tractor very carefully, including opening the hood, the sprayer tank, its contents (?), the tool box, which he empties, etc. Everything’s OK, of course…Another horse cart and someone on foot arrive. The soldiers know them by name, but the inspections are rigorous.
06:25 Abu Azzam, whom everyone knows, arrives on a tractor pulling a trailer filled with large sacks of זבל fertilizer? Garbage? The MP doesn’t hesitate, climbs on the sacks, opens one and sniffs…
Abu Azzam also hadn’t heard that plowing has begun and that the gates might be opened for longer periods of time. He’ll let farmers in other villages know.
Three tractors loaded with people arrive quickly at the last minute; the gate closes five minutes late.
07:00 Falamya gate
The soldiers are barely visible; no one is crossing. On the way back we meet two tractors with 4-5 riders on each, on their way to the gate.
07:25 Habla
At least 30 Palestinians are waiting. People go through very quickly – three minutes per group of five people. The soldiers are polite and work fast.
A flock of sheep arrives from the direction of Habla and goes through toward the plant nurseries. A man comes from the direction of the nurseries, is asked whether he has a 00 permit (authorizing him to remain in the seam zone overnight). He says no, he waits until the inspection booth is vacant and is then quickly checked.
The checkpoint commander calls the attention of those crossing to the hour the checkpoint closes in the afternoon. A small boy arrives alone on a donkey; smiling, they let him cross, also reminding him to return on time.
08:05 People continue arriving, but there’s less of a line. Wagons, cars and pickup trucks with seedlings for the plant nurseries arrive. The checkpoint is very busy.
08:10 We leave and make a long detour to reach 'Anabta,on an errand from Sylvia.
08:40 'Anabta. We meet the people waiting for us and decide to stop at Deir Sharaf and then go up to Shavei Shomron.
There’s a lot of traffic on the road. It turns out they’re laying large sewer pipes from Nablus to Beit Lid, to the sewage treatment plant being constructed there with funds donated by the German government.
We go through Eliyahu crossing for the third time today, and return home.
'Anabta CP
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'Anabta CP
The checkpoint is located south of the village of 'Anabta, at the intersection of Road 60 (leading to Nablus at the entrance to Area A), with Road (57, 557, 5576) facing west towards the Einav settlement and the checkpoint at the exit from the West Bank - Figs checkpoint. Until 2010 we used to watch the intersection and report the long columns created due to a slow inspection of the vehicles in both directions.
Oct-28-2011Anabta checkpoint 24.10.11
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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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Falamiya
See all reports for this placeHabla
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Habla CP (1393)
The Habla checkpoint (1393) was established on the lands of the residents of Qalqilya, on the short road that
connected it for centuries to the nearby town of Habla. The separation barrier intersects this road twice and cut off the residents of Qalqilya from their lands in the seam zone.(between the fence and the green line).
There is a passage under Road 55 that connects Qalqilya to the sabotage This agricultural barrier is used by the farmers and nursery owners established along Road 55 from the Green Line and on both sides of the kurkar road leading to the checkpoint.
This agricultural checkpoint serves the residents of Arab a-Ramadin al-Janoubi (detached from the West Bank), who pass through it to the West Bank and back to their homes. The opening hours (3 times a day) of this agricultural checkpoint are longer than usual, about an hour (recently shortened to 45 minutes), and are coordinated with the transportation hours of a-Ramadin children studying in the occupied in the West Bank.
Nina SebaAug-18-2025Habla: The gate is in the process of closing
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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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Jayyus North (935)
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