'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana
Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint 5:55 a.m.
On the Palestinian side, the Palestinian usher/security guard (in black uniform, armed with a club) says he arrives at the checkpoint as early as 3 a.m. Why the hurry? Two hours ahead of time? Well, since the new installation was opened on this side, leading people to and from the terminal (that resembles a cattle corral, 4 narrow tracks, 4 turnstiles), the passage is rather swift, without any human contact between the occupier and the occupied. Most of the people crossing here (they used to be estimated at 2500 every morning) work in East Barta’a, and especially in constructing the new large Israeli town of Harish (south of the Iron highway interchange). Many of them work without permits but but but… If they don’t build the town, who will? So the occupation knows and turns a blind eye. For now.
Addition: while writing this report I saw a new video showing the Israeli army enter East Barta’a, confiscate construction equipment at a site that was begun “without construction permits”, and soldiers beating people who recorded the incident with their telephone cameras.
Aneen agricultural checkpoint 6:30 a.m.
Here the military police is at work. Palestinian line up and approach the soldiers’ post one by one, their name is checked on the computer and if it shows that they exited and returned here the last time, they get through. If no such match is found, chances are they’ll be turned back home. Why no match>? Because at the distant Barta’a Checkipoint they can cross every morning and come back at night. Twice a week they prefer to cross the Aneen Checkpoint that is closer to home, but must come back through it at 3:30 p.m., which is not always convenient for them. So they cross back at Barta’a. The soldiers claim that if they do not return through the Aneen Checkpoint, they may have crossed into Israel. Why – question for the occupation authorities – in this computerized day and age, can one not check on the computer through which checkpoint a person returned to the West Bank? After all, if he came through Aneen this morning, he must have gotten back somehow…
Tayibe-Roumana agricultural checkpoint 7:05
We and the soldiers leave Aneen Checkpoint and drive to Tayibe-Roumana Checkpoint. The soldiers drive along the fence road, and we – through the town of Umm Al Fahm (inside Israel). Usually we get there first. This time we arrive almost at the same time. The army gets organized and opens the three gates of the checkpoint. Three young men are turned back for some (to us) unknown reason. Among others, young men, farmers, several women with children crossed as well.
'Anin checkpoint (214)
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'Anin checkpoint (214)
'Anin checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence east of the Israeli community Mei Ami and close to the village of Anin in the West Bank. It is opened twice a week, morning and afternoon, on days with shorter light time, for Anin farmers whose olive groves have been separated from the village by the fence it became difficult to cultivate their land. Transit permits are only issued to those who can produce ownership documents for their caged-in land, and sometimes only to the head of the family or his widow, eldest son, and children. Sometimes the inheritors lose their right to tend to the family’s land. The permits are eked out and are re-issued only with difficulty. 55-year-old persons may cross the checkpoint (into Israel) without special permits. During the olive harvest season (about one month around October) the checkpoint is open daily and more transit permits are issued. Names of persons eligible to cross are held in the soldiers’ computers. In July 2007, a sweeping instruction was issued, stating that whoever does not return to the village through this checkpoint in the afternoon will be stripped of his transit permit when he shows up there next time. Since 2019, the checkpoint has not been allways locked with the seam-line zone gate (1 of 3 gates), and the fence around it has been broken in several sites.
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Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint
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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).
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Tayba-Rummana
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Tayba-Rummana is an agricultural checkpoint. It is located in the separation fence in front of the eastern slopes of the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm. The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rummana. Dozens of dunams of olive groves were removed from their owners, the residents of these villages on the western side of the separation fence. The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rumna. Dozens of olives dunams were removed from these villages' residents and swallowed up in a narrow strip of space, on the western side of the separation fence. The checkpoint allows the plantation owners who have permits to pass. Twice a week, the checkpoint opens for fifteen minutes in the morning and evening. During the harvest season, it opens every day for fifteen minutes in the morning (around 0630) and fifteen minutes in the afternoon (around 1530). (February 2020).
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