Today there was a human atmosphere at Tura Checkpoint from the standpoint of an older couple who were not healthy but who took food to the needy in Tura and from the standpoint of the soldiers at Anin Checkpoint.

14:40  Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

Few pass through.  Two young people arrive from the Seamline Zone – cousins; one is a resident of Tura, accompanied by his small brother; the second lives in a lone house, next to the settlement of Shaked.  Both are proud of the little English they speak and we speak with them.  A resident of Umm al Fahm arrives with a scooter (see the report of 20/07/2016).  He breathes with difficulty and has an oxygen balloon on his scooter.  The man, an Israeli resident, has already waited three years for a lung transplant at Beilinson Hospital (israel).  His wife (the second), a Palestinian resident, grew up in Tura.  She is also not healthy; she has diabetes.  The scooter is loaded with boxes of cooked food, remains of a wedding that took place in Um al-Fahm, now is  transferred to the needy in Tura.  The husband, as an Israeli citizen is not allowed to cross over with her, waits. This is like a public kitchen, he explains to us.  It appears that people who are not healthy and who have their own problems, also want and are able to help others.

15:05  Anin Checkpoint

The gates are already open and all those who arrive first already passed through.  We telephoned M., but he already passed through to the village. However, if we have packages of clothing, he will return.  He requests that we speak to the soldiers.  A soldier approaches us and reminds us that it is forbidden to enter the area between the fences.  We tell him that soon someone will return in order to take the packages.  The soldier considers for a minute and says he is not able to give the man permission to pass through to us because at that hour the checkpoint is only for those passing through to the West Bank.  He asks to peek into our bags and suggests that we leave them in the area of the checkpoint and the man can come and take them.  So it was.  We hear the soldiers say that at 15:30 they will travel to Gate 154 (Tayibe Rumana Checkpoint).  We ask them if they were there last week and tell them that people praised them (See report from 28/07/2016). Everyone, M., the soldiers and we wish everyone a good day.  At 15:20 individual people arrive and pass through immediately.

15:40  Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint, on the side of the Seamline Zone

An endless stream of people return from their work, most of them carry blue hampers.  To their good luck, almost all of them work in Israel (in building Harish?) and don’t need an inspection of their permits.  Only one Biometric machine works but it is enough for those who work in the Seamline Zone and there is no line.  There are few people passing to the Seamline, primarily women with children dressed as if for a holiday. 

16:10  We go up to the parking lot and there a young man complains that he doesn’t get a permit to work in Israel; he is prohibited (from working in Israel) although he is “clean”.  We give him a telephone number and wish him luck.

On our way home we see the police car from Tura Checkpoint, parked alongside the turn to Anin Checkpoint and beside the car is a policeman with his gun drawn.  We don’t know why.