Translation: Bracha B.

14:40 – Jalameh Checkpoint

We drove two men and a girl in a red jumper to the checkpoint. 

There is a long line of cars belonging to Israeli Arabs returning from a visit to the West Bank.  There are very few people at the pedestrian's entrance near the terminal designated for Palestinians.  One vehicle arrived carrying women who were returning from work in Israel.    

15:25 – A'anin Checkpoint

There are still four tractors, two women and four children waiting.  The women and one of the children got on the last tractor and three children are still waiting.  Evidently two of them, who live in Um al-Fahem, were accompanying the other one who lives in A'anin.  He had somehow crossed in the morning without his parents and did not know whether the soldiers would let him return home.  We were also not sure, but the soldiers let him go through quickly.   

15:45 – Shied-Tura Checkpoint

A man arrived from the seamline zone in a fancy car with his two nephews.  He bought the car a month ago and it is still not registered at the Shaked-Tura checkpoint's computer, so he had to drive to Reihan-Barta'a checkpoint and cross there instead.  The man said that his cousin bought a car a year ago and it was also not entered in the computer yet.  Evidently the computers at Shaked Tura and Reihan Barta'a do not communicate with each other.  Another man arrived and was angry that he was not told to drive through despite the fact that there was no line.  He claimed that the civilian management at Reihan Barta'a does a better job than the soldiers.  Another vehicle arrived and there was more traffic than usual at this hour.

16:15 – Reihan Barta'a Checkpoint, the Palestinian Side

We went down to the Palestinian parking lot to meet one of the people for whom Sylvia is trying to get a permit to enter Israel and eliminate from the blacklist.  To our surprise there was a Palestinian ambulance waiting at the checkpoint and when we crossed back to the seamline zone the ambulance was still waiting.  We were told that the ambulance would cross when the vehicles which were inside left the inspection facility in ten minutes, and we never found out when it was finally allowed to cross.

16:45 – Reihan Barta'a Checkpoint, Seamline Zone Side

At the entrance to the terminal there were notices in Arabic with a Tel Aviv telephone number.  We asked one of the people who spoke Hebrew what they said, and they explained that it was the phone number of Sharon, the manager of the checkpoint.

Two of the workers in the terminal are arguing loudly and calling each other "idiot."  The presence of the Palestinians does not seem to bother them and somehow their work continues.  There are seven detainees crowded on the bench and they are released within a few minutes.  

At 17:10 we ascended the sleeve to the parking lot on the seamline zone side and the ambulance finally leaves the inspection facility – an hour after it arrived! 

Workers arrive with their transports and descend the sleeve to the terminal.  Two people stop to talk to us.  They sell charcoal in Barta'a and have business permits and are returning to their home in Yaabed, but they have to cross in the morning at Jalameh.  After a discussion with the Liaison and Coordination Administration we learned that they have business licenses in Israel but not in Barta'a, which is in the seamline zone.  They have warehouses but no stores in Barta'a. Obviously they need to cross at a checkpoint from the West Bank into Israel and not into the seamline zone.   The Liaison and Coordination Administration told them to go to the Liaison and Coordination Administration in Jenin in an attempt to get rid of them.  

We left the checkpoint at 17:25.