‘Anin, Barta’a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana, Thu 25.7.13, Morning
Translation: Charles K.
06:10 A’anin
A hazy morning, the checkpoint is already open, people going through, everyone happy to see us even though we didn’t bring them clothing. A farmer asks for help obtaining a permit to go through the distant Tura/Shaked checkpoint with a tractor on days when this checkpoint is closed. He must water his trees, and how can he bring water to his groves? He’s allowed to cross on foot, as if a tractor was only a toy and not an indispensable tool. And to allow a farmer to reach his olive grove only twice a week is simply unforgivable malicious harassment.
06:45 Barta’a-Reihan checkpoint
The checkpoint is open, very orderly. Everyone parks very considerately or exits the taxis from the West Bank and is immediately swallowed up in the terminal without waiting. People go through the terminal quickly. But we should remember, and keep repeating: only people with permits may go through here, and permits aren’t easy to obtain. Many cross here, but many more would like to do so and can’t.
07:20 We visited a compound belonging to a farming family which grows tobacco and raises sheep – a father and his two wives, children and grandchildren. The place looks pretty pitiful; the little ones smiling and captivating as usual. They hid their surprise at our visit and invited us to drink sweet tea. One of the sons, Imad, told us he’d been jailed for three months in the Damoun prison near Haifa for driving without a license. He also received a suspended sentence – prohibited from entering Israel for five years. Two years have passed. In the interim he worked for an Israeli Arab who fired him without paying three months of his salary (NIS 6000). He hired an attorney, but the case hasn’t yet come to court.
Photo: Tobacco leaves drying
08:00 Tayibe-Rummaneh checkpoint
A tractor and some people wait on the eastern side of the checkpoint, as if they hadn’t moved since we were here two weeks ago. A Border Police jeep arrives while we were telephoning brigade headquarters to ensure they won’t arrive late like they did the last time. Astounded at our presence, not understanding what we wanted, it took them a quarter of an hour of inquiries about what to do with us. Finally a delegation arrived: a female border guard and three males, all of them polite. OK, they said, you can remain but you’re not allowed to photograph because it’s a closed military area (we’d already finished photographing). If it’s a closed military area, we asked, how come Palestinians are going through? We didn’t receive an answer. The few people waiting were allowed to cross at 08:15.
Photo: Border Police at the Tayibe-Rummaneh checkpoint, finally letting people through.
'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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