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‘Anabta, ‘Azzun, Ras ‘Atiya, Mon 5.10.09, Afternoon

Place: 'Anabta CP 'Azzun Ras 'Atiya
Observers: Alice F., Tziona S., (Reporting) Translation: Bracha B.A.
Oct-05-2009
| Afternoon

Ras Atiya

15:00 – A few cars and pedestrians are leaving or entering the village.  Everyone going out enters the hut to be checked.

A tender with several young men stops next to us when we arrive.  They are residents of Ras Atiya.  We ask how things are and they complain that the soldiers don’t behave nicely and point to the hut.  Every time they come to the village they are forced to be checked in the hut.

The soldiers come towards us and the sergeant, the checkpoint commander, asks us, “Are you from Watch?”  He announces that as long as we don’t disturb his work we can stand there.  Later he takes an interest in our “job”.  As long as we explain to him that our motives are humanitarian, he accepts it and announces that he is humane as well, but the moment that I brought up the word “occupation” he begins to shout.  Ah, you said “occupation.  “You see?  You are political.  You are left and I’m on the right side of the map.”  Alice asks why he has to stand here and he answers, “My home is here across the way, you see it in Tel Aviv, and I’m guarding it.”  A discussion develops about the issue of guarding one’s home.  At the same time they are polite and friendly towards those entering an exiting the village.  Possibly our presence has a positive influence on their behavior.

Azzun

The entrance to Azzun is blocked with a wall and stones.  Next to the roadblock are two Hummers belonging to the border patrol.

16:15 – Anabta checkpoint is abandoned.  Why was it  necessary to invest vast sums of money to build a checkpoint that would be abandoned after several months?  Perhaps this is one of the reasons why there is never enough money for security.  (But there is a contractor who pocketed a lot of money and the Palestinians also got a wide, clean, paved entrance to the village).  On the other hand, all the facilities have been left, so perhaps the checkpoint has only been abandoned temporarily.

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  • '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.  
      Anabta checkpoint 24.10.11
      Oct-28-2011
      Anabta checkpoint 24.10.11
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  • 'Azzun

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    • Azoun (updated February 2019)

      A Palestinian town situated in Area B (under civil Palestinian control and Israeli security control), 

      on road 5 between Nablus and Qalqiliya, east of Nabi Elias village. The inhabitants are allowed to construct and improve infrastructures. The Separation Fence has confiscated lands belonging to the town's people. In 2018 olive tree groves owned by one of its inhabitants were confiscated for the sake of paving a road to bypass Nabi Elias. Azoun population numbers 13,000, its economic state dire. Its infrastructures are poor, neglect and poverty rampant. In the meantime, the town council has completed paving an internal road for the inhabitants' welfare.

      Because of its proximity to the Jewish settler-colony of Karnei Shomron and its outposts, the town suffers the intense presence of the Israeli army, especially at nighttime: soldiers enter homes, arrest suspects, trash the house and sometimes ruin it, as they do in numerous places in the West Bank. At times a checkpoint closes the entrance to the town, so no one can come in or get out.

       

  • Ras 'Atiya

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    • The checkpoint is presently on the Separation Barrier roadway, manned and open 12 hours a day, from 6:30 to 18:30. West of it is the large Seam Line village whose school is attended by children from the nearby villages east of the Barrier and many of whose inhabitants have permits to work in Israel. How long this checkpoint will remain in place is unknown, since construction of the Separation Wall, just by the settlement of Alfe Menashe, east of the present Separation Barrier, is endless, as is the creation of a new road and, obviously, a new checkpoint.

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