‘Anin, Barta’a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana
06:10-06:50 Barta’a-Reihan
On line to the revolving gate at the terminal palestinian parking lot
This is one of the two major checkpoints in the northern West Bank (the second is Jalameh) where individuals, vehicles and merchandise cross between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. In 2007 operation of the checkpoint was transferred to a civilian security firm and our immediate response to the “civilianization” was mostly pessimistic, because that step was seen as an irreversible act of occupation. Not that the operation of checkpoints by soldiers holds out any hope, but in practice it turns out the civilian company operates the checkpoint and the crossing much more efficiently than the soldiers.
More and more fortunate people go through this checkpoint after finding work in the seam zone and in Israel. Evidence of their luck is the huge number of new vehicles filling the parking lot. At this hour Palestinians in their vehicles or in organized transport flow to the lower parking lot and hurry to the revolving gate leading to the terminal. The revolving gate stops occasionally for a few minutes in order to control the rate at which people go through the terminal. Fifty people go through each time. People continually join the line, which keeps moving. Before we left, near 07:00, more people were going through than joining the line.
We heard complaints about the great and cumbersome bureaucracy: people told us their permits expired without prior notice before the Jewish New Year holidays, and because the DCL was closed during the entire holiday period they had a forced vacation from work of more than 15 days. Even were they to go to the DCL today they wouldn’t obtain a new permit on the spot. One, W., we’d met at the checkpoint when he was ten years old selling coffee from a thermos, and grew up before our eyes over the years into a 22 year old man who even has a shiny new car. He hasn’t worked for more than two weeks because he can’t reach his workplace and the DCL is closed.
07:00-07:45 A’anin, agricultural checkpoint (214)
The checkpoint, A’anin village in the background
According to the DCL, the olive harvest began officially yesterday, which means the checkpoint will be open daily, three times a day. But meanwhile it’s open only twice a day and we see no harvesters or olives. An acquaintance said the village received about 500 harvest permits; others complained that not all family members (of an age and physically capable of working) obtained the hoped-for permits, though last year they certainly received them. We referred the latter to Hamoked Center for the Defense of the Individual that deals with Palestinian complaints vis-à-vis authorities such as the Civil Administration. These are the same complaints heard every year during the olive harvest season. The harsh policy continues to make life difficult.
More people crossed than usual, including women and children.
Residents of A’anin are most friendly and welcoming to us, without exception, which makes us feel good and is encouraging.
08:00-08:15 Tayibeh-Rummaneh agricultural checkpoint (154)
A particularly rigorous inspection of a tractor
The Border Police soldiers operating this checkpoint arrived today on time.
About 15 people and two tractors crossed in 15 minutes. The tractors were more carefully inspected than usual by one of the Border Police soldiers. Another, who came to lock the gate we stood beside, said that the last tractor driver who went through told him he’s the only one among those crossing who’s really headed for his olive trees… What do we think? He told us to be careful.
'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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