'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana
At the Palestinian car-park in Barta’a Checkpoint, at what is considered the most crowded time (6:10 a.m.) people pass the turnstile and on to the terminal without waiting. In the past we witnessed riots here and now, since the number of Palestinians crossing into Israel from the West Bank has grown, and to be more precise – as construction workers of the new Israeli town of Harish, passage has become more efficient and the harsh sights of crowded waiting lines are gone. Sunlight reflects from the shiny metal of the new checkpoint installation. Inside it’s probably still a stifling nightmare of heat. It is not yet in use, thank goodness. We expect it to become a frying pan in summer and a noisy freezer in wintertime. We’ll wait and see. We met Iyad, the contractor, a respectable looking man and pleasant conversationalist, whose name for the past year has been “decorated” with a black spot on the computer screen, meaning he’s “blacklisted”, prevented passage into Israel to make a living. He is waiting for time to pass until he is eligible to apply for removal of this prevention. Until one year ago he used to come to the checkpoint and volunteer his own time to keep the order in the waiting lines and prevent riots. One day (“someone ratted on me just like that”) the black spot appeared on the computer and since then, his life has gone topsy-turvy.
Our reports contain what we see and hear and understand and are able to report. What about the parallel reality at the checkpoints? Invisible and probably more fascinating. How does one survive in a state that leaves one no other choice but to re-invent oneself and think up every way possible to bring food home at the end of every single day? One day those stories too will emerge.
We hurried on to Anin Checkpoint, that usually opens at 6:30-7:00 a.m. However, judging by the number of Palestinians from Anin who have already crossed over and gone to the nearby junction, it was obvious the checkpoint had opened earlier than usual. Some minutes after our arrival (6:35 a.m.) the soldiers closed the gates and were gone, though a half-hour still remained until official closing time.
M., one of the oldest users of this checkpoint, told us that his permit will be invalid beginning tomorrow and still has not been renewed. This is to remind all of us that Anin villagers may exit their village to the seam-line zone from here only twice a week. He is naturally very worried and asks for our help.
At the entrance to the checkpoint we see a pile of clothes we handed people here at some point. The calf doesn’t always really want to suck its mother’s milk…
We drove to Umm Al Fahm (inside Israel), climbed up to Iskandar mountaintop, and from there rolled down to the Tayibe-Roumana Checkpoint (154) at the eastern slopes of the hill. From here permit holders from Tayibe and Roumana villages may cross over to their lands and to the city on the other side of the Separation Barrier. We were 15 minutes early but already on our way we met three Palestinian who had already crossed over. There was no military presence at the checkpoint itself and on the other side Palestinians stood waiting. After a while a Border Police vehicle came but did not contain the team that lets people across, rather the team securing the Barrier – so they “don’t open checkpoints”. We inquired at the DCO, asking them to come and open the gate at least today for 15 Palestinians were waiting, but the DCO people insisted that the Palestinians all know opening times have changed! All? “Yes, all, we (Israeli DCO) informed the Palestinian DCO, the local councils and it’s also on the net!”
'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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