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‘Anabta, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Tue 19.1.10, Afternoon

Place: 'Anabta CP Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)
Tags: Slow passage Women
Observers: Dvora O., Bruria R. (reporting)
Jan-19-2010
| Afternoon

Anabta CP
The cars pass without being checked.

Irtah
At 3:30, when we arrived at the CP, there were few people and the only post which was open, was sufficient. But ten minutes later the stream of people grew, the queue became longer and the congestion increased, and still only one post was active. Later two buses,  in which there were women who returned from prisoners' visits, arrived. It is well known that the checking of women takes more time as they don't have the arrangement for finger print checkings. When the women arrived just one other porthole was opened, and the men's queue became longer and longer.

During all this time we called the humanitarian center and the Tul Karem DCO many times and tried also other DCO offices. Some ddin't reply, some promised to help, but there were no results.

We also appealed to the guard at the gate who promised that soon more posts would be added. According to him just when we were talking to him there was a changing of guards. When no posts were added we returned to him and he said that the number of posts was increased to four. We returned to the CP and there was nothing of the kind, there were only two posts open. When we came back to him for the third time he refused to contact the commander, he claimed that he had all the information by means of camers. In the end two other posts were opened, and the line of people began to move. The question remains, why does it take so much time, and why another post cannot be added immediately when there is a need for it, especially when women return from visiting prisoners.     

  • '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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  • 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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