Rihan, Aanin, Thursday, June 8, 2006, AMObserving & reporting: Hedva H, Revital S08:30 – 10:30″Two peoples want peace/two governments don’t” – our greeting from a proud prophet in Aanin. The first impression is of gay and happy people, but gradually we begin to hear the tough stories.On the “Israeli” side of the fence, 20 people are waiting to return to the village. On the other side, 50 people are waiting to go to work. The schoolchildren are on vacation and are joining their parents, mostly to work in the olive groves.The soldiers first process the people going to work. Transit began on time and is proceeding orderly. The soldiers are new there (as are we) and are behaving politely (including to us).At 09:25 the people going to Aanin and beyond begin to pass through. Particularly touching is a couple sending their 9-year-old to cross the checkpoint alone, take a taxi and go to his father’s brother in Zabuba. The father hasn’t visited his family for a year. Has he forgotten to give the boy traveling money? He runs after him, but is barely allowed to cross as the gate is meanwhile closing.A lot of people came to us with a variety of requests. One old man from Aanin is not succeeding in getting a permit to visit his son in Salem. His details and those of others were passed on to whoever deals with these problems. Our general impression is that once a permit expires, it is exceedingly difficult to renew. On some of the permits the old number of Aanin checkpoint gate appears ( 2, instead of 214 which should be there), and therefore the permit-holders are not allowed to pass, so they say.Rihan, 10:15Some 15 people crowding around the gate – a large number for this time of day here. It appears that the gate has been closed for the last hour, according to the people waiting. When we went to inquire, the soldiers shrieked at us in Arabic, “Back off!” but shortly afterward they began to process the 15 in three groups of five at a time. The gratitude of the people was embarrassing.Four vehicles are waiting in the parking lot for inspection of agricultural produce. A trucker transporting meat complains that his cargo is spoiling because of the long wait. Two giant vehicles are being checked together, every box being offloaded, checked and returned – a lengthy process.At the vehicle checkpoint a line of six cars is waiting for them to finish inspecting the boxes.The coffee venders are in evidence and an army of taxis is waiting for work – but there is no work.