‘Anin, Barta’a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana, Tura-Shaked
05:45 Regional Checkpoint Barta’a
As soon as we enter the checkpoint a young man tells us he was caught (by the Border Police) in the Katzir area without the proper permits. His work permit for Barta’a was ken from him and he was sent home. Now he will have to walk the exhausting mile and get himself a passage permit anew. He is one of those young men who take the risk and go to work inside Israel without a valid permit, hoping to find daily work in the Jewish town that is being constructed in this area – Harish. The temptation is great, but the Border Police hunts most of them down on the roads leading to the construction site.
At the Palestinian car park a not-too-long waiting line of cars moves at a regular pace towards the terminal. Most of those waiting are in fact construction workers who have been lucky enough to get work at Harish, and when the town is ready they will be unemployed again.
From a talk with the taxis drivers in this car park we learned that they are not too favorably impressed with the order and discipline obtained by the Palestinian security personnel who began to work there a few months ago. The drivers are more upset about the money that these “guards” charge for daily parking in this car park and that finds its way to the private pockets of functionaries in the regional Palestinians council and the Palestinian authorities. They are certain that someone on the Israeli side, too, profits from them. At what other checkpoints are people charged for parking?
06:30 Agricultural checkpoint ‘Anin 214
The morning is cool and pleasant. The soldiers got there a few minutes earlier than we did. Some of the Palestinians rushing through make do with the hurried greeting “Good morning, how are you?” and “Thank goodness, I’m alright”… Others enjoy exchanging words with us. Karin is young and new at the shift and they are curious… Ahmad, ‘Anin born, tells us about his life before the Separation Fence was erected. He would walk over on foot to Umm Al Fahm (an Arab city inside Israel), “one cigarette-smoke away” – five minutes, do his shopping there and walk five minutes back. Now if something is missing in the village, there’s nowhere to go to get it. He has to drive one hour to Jenin. There used to be plenty of work inside Israel. Now – it’ over. Nothing. He sits at home and does not work. Ill. So how do you make a living? He has five children, each gives him 300 shekels a month, and they make do with that. What can one do. There are no family meetings, they all live in villages beyond the fence. He has an uncle and an aunt in a distant village. Only one fine thing has happened to him: at his age (59) he no longer needs a passage permit, it’s enough to present his ID. And he’s glad.
07:20 “fabric of life’ checkpoint Toura-Shaked 300
Shouts are heard from the waiting line on the Palestinian side. A group of about 20 people are quarreling among themselves and perhaps with the soldiers as well. In the meantime no one goes out or comes in for half an hour since the checkpoint was opened. Cars are stuck on both sides. Someone explains: “The soldiers are alright, it’s the Arabs who aren’t”. People arrive two hours before the checkpoint’s opening time in order to save a place in line, and others who come at the last minute push their way in.
The little schoolchildren cross over to go to school in Toura. They are not delayed.
08:00 Agricultural Checkpoint Tayibe-Roumana 145
As we arrive, there are 2 soldiers on the spot, waiting for reinforcement. For about ten minutes we talked with one of them, who claimed he is interested in what each side has to say but does not necessarily agree. He sounded quite a few slogans that contain not an ounce of truth. We are used to hearing this, a lot. But he listened with interest and good will. 10 minutes went by and more soldiers arrived, opening the checkpoint gates. ID and permits checks were conducted at the furthest gate, and rapidly. All those crossing, even the youngsters, hurried to greet us ‘Good morning’. It’s heart-warming.
We see one fellow detained for clarifications: he is an Arab Israeli citizen, resident of nearby Umm Al Fahm. He came to the Palestinian village of Tayibe to take part in mourning ceremonies as his father died. Now he wants to get back home to Umm Al Fahm. The soldiers inquire by phone whether to let him through so he can walk those 15 minutes to his home, or send him to Jalame Checkpoint the way he came, a very long drive away. Guess what the answer was…
'Anin checkpoint (214)
See all reports for this place-
'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.
-
Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint
See all reports for this place-
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).
-
Tayba-Rummana
See all reports for this place-
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).
-
Tura-Shaked
See all reports for this place-
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
-
