Back to reports search page

‘Anin

Observers: Tzafrira Zamir and Netta Golan (reporting). Translator: Louise Levi
Sep-11-2014
| Afternoon

 

15:02 Anin

We are a little late. The checkpoint is open and the few people who have arrived are passing through. After a few minutes everybody has crossed.

 

15:50 Tura – Shaked

One woman has entered the seamline zone and is waiting for her transportation. She leaves and, as usual, there are no more people waiting at this hour.

 

16:00 Barta'a, the side of the seamline zone

"It stinks, this whole checkpoint stinks."

The bottom of a huge truck with an Israeli license plate is being checked by means of a mirror attached to a pole (like a dentist's mirror.) The truck is on its way to the seamline zone.

From somewhere, we hear dogs barking.

 

Large numbers of laborers are on their way home to the West Bank from their work in Israel and in the seamline zone. Few people are passing through in the opposite direction, from the West Bank to the seamline zone, most of them are women. Among them we see our acquaintances, the seamstresses who work in the sewing workshop in east Barta'a. If we understand correctly, they are working the afternoon shift.

The workers in the seamline zone complain that there is a line because only one window out of two is open. Luckily, it seems most of the laborers work in Israel so they do not have to be checked there. One of the workers is being quite resourceful. He manages to bring an office chair through the turnstile.

 

16:30

Through the sleeve, we walk up to the parking lot near the seamline zone.  Opposite us, many workers are coming down. One of them says: "It stinks, this whole checkpoint stinks." He is right, even though, if you look at it, the checkpoint is clean and tidy. Someone else says that his friend is mad because he wants t buy food at the diner belonging to a settler from Hermesh. Many people greet us saying "shalom."

  • '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.

Donate
A MachsomWatch volunteer sits in conversation with a Palestinian man in the South Hebron Hills.

We can't promise to stop the violence.

We can promise to keep showing up.

Donate Now