‘Anin, Barta’a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana, Tura-Shaked
Barta’a-Reihan – a large regional checkpoint (operated by a civilian security firm)
A long, crowded line stretches from the main road all the way to the turnstile at the entrance to the terminal. Hundreds of younger and older Palestinians, on their way to work in Eastern Barta’a and in Israel, are stuck in this crash for a full hour or more, most of them quiet, some impatient. Shouts are heard around the turnstile. What happened? Ayad, the volunteer “usher,” is holding a tough discussion with people. Why? He keeps asking. “Why are you entering here? Get back in line!” Ayad (volunteering in his own free time) is doing the job for the occupation’s security firm. Without him, fights would very likely break out here, as we see happening in other checkpoints that process tens of thousands of workers into Israel every morning. People are eager to get to work on time, the system that operates the checkpoint – supposedly meant to stream them in with as little delay as possible – is clumsy and cannot adapt to the pace of passage. According to the Palestinians, for the past week there have not been enough windows (inspecting IDs) and passage has been terribly slow. People are late for their transport to work and lose money as a result.
We spoke with R., deputy manager of the checkpoint, and asked on behalf of the Palestinians, why only three windows were operating today inside the terminal, when it is obviously the reason for the serious delay. He knows. What are you doing about it? We’re doing what we can.
Every several minutes, the turnstile unlocks and about 70 people get through. Then it stops. At the same time, the other end of the line absorbs at least 50 new people. If the officials inside the terminal do not operate quickly, the line simply gets stuck for a long time. What are they waiting for?
Two young men approach, hesitatingly. They complain to us about something we’ve already heard: one of them is on the Shabak blacklist (prevented from entering Israel) but he has a valid work permit (a familiar phenomenon). He is not always allowed through, and of course no one explains why today he is granted permission to get in, and yesterday he wasn’t? We didn’t know what to say. We gave him Tami Sh.’s telephone number.
It’s the Occupation routine that ruins the lives and hopes of Palestinians. This is the ugly face the State of Israel shows for posterity.
06:45 Agricultural Checkpoint ‘Anin (opens twice a week in the morning and afternoon for farmers from ‘Anin whom the Separation Barrier has separated from their own lands)
Most of the farmers have already crossed the checkpoint into the ‘seamline zone’. The DCO vehicle as well as an armored carrier with soldiers are inside the checkpoint. According to M., one person was not allowed through because of an invalid permit.
07:00 “Fabric of life” Checkpoint Toura-Shaked
The heavy smog filling the region has not skipped this checkpoint, which looks deserted, it even adds a somewhat moonlike atmosphere. For a long time no one enters or exits. Two cars are waiting to cross, and do so for a long time until they are let through. Some people who have already crossed the checkpoint are waiting for a ride/transport to work. To our question “How are you?” one of them answers, “Great!” What do you mean, great? He stretches both hands towards the checkpoint and answers: “Need an explanation?” We had a laugh together.
08:05 Agricultural checkpoint Taiybe-Roumana (opens twice a week in the mornings and afternoons for farmers separated from their lands, and/or for family visits at Umm Al Fahm)
Opening time set by the occupation authorities is 8 a.m., but they themselves do not treat their own decisions seriously. Today, too, the checkpoint opened late, this time half an hour late. On Monday it was opened a whole hour late. The Palestinians stand and wait, and wait. Got to get home? Got to get to work? The checkpoint is usually operated by the Border Police.
According to the head of Roumana village council, the seamline zone here is about 400-600 sq. m. There are close family ties between the villages and the city of Umm Al Fahm (inside Israel).
People seem glad to see us, and even the religious-looking, bearded youngsters greet us or answer our ‘good morning’ with a smile. Neta and I believe that this is our second most important job here at the checkpoints – exchanging smiles. What the first is – we have not established yet…
'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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Tura-Shaked
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Tura-Shaked
This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.
- fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)
Ruti TuvalMar-21-2022Anin Checkpoint: A magnificent breach in the center of the checkpoint
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