‘Anin, Tayba-Rummana
How long must one wait for the Border Police and the Bedouin unit of the Israeli army to open the checkpoints? Endlessly.
We arrived at the Anin “Gate” 214 at 15:00. This is an agricultural checkpoint opened twice a week for farmers and residents of the Palestinian village of Anin who have been separated from their own farm lands by the separation fence. About 10 people, young and elderly and 4 tractors were waiting to cross, and all showed various signs of fatigue. There was no trace of the soldiers. After 15 minutes went by we called the DCO asking them to hurry things up, and were told they were busy with some “security matter”. “Something along the fence”. We received the same answer the next time we called, and the next. We left at 15:50, the Bedouin unit soldiers arrived at 16:30, namely one and a half hours late.
If this army cannot follow its own schedule in peacetime, what will happen in a military emergency?
We arrived at the next agricultural “gate” (checkpoint) – Tayibe Roumana gate 154 – below Umm Al Fahm to the east, at 16:00, its official opening time. Usually it is operated by Border Policemen. They too are often late, so obviously the army does not take these agricultural gates seriously. Today they arrived two hours late. We were already on our way home, but remained in the picture by phone. The DCO woman-soldier, patient to an extent, finally took initiative and sent Bedouin unit soldiers there instead of the Border Police. The Bedouin unit men create a hostile atmosphere. One of them told us (on the phone) that their delay was caused by security activity along the fence, and yes – no problem, they (the Palestinians) can wait an hour or two, “what’s the problem?”
On Monday morning, April 25, 2016, the Border Policemen were one hour late again. The reason given was “new soldiers”, but apparently the army cannot keep the schedule it has set for itself for opening these gates.
'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.
-
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).
-