Gates Between Qalqiliya and Tulkarm, Monday PM, 17 April 2006 Observers: from Jerusalem – Nora A, Hagit S; from Tel Aviv – Tami B, Tal B, Elat B, Noah P, Dafna B (reporting)Summary: in the final resort, a mix of gates in the fence where transit was routine. They opened on time and there were no special problems, beyond the cardinal problem of someone approving, checking, and sometimes preventing a person from reaching his land. We did not reach all the gates because of a barrier at the entrance to Azun, nevertheless we watched the “cessation of life” procedure at Ar-Ras checkpoint, and the erection of a barrier at the entrance to Beit Lid.Background: in the OCHA report published in the last month, there was mention that 11% of the Palestinians’ lands have been confiscated for the purpose of erecting the fence, or have remained beyond the fence, and it is to be presumed that for these lands the intention is to arrive at a pretext for confiscating them over the course of time. Twenty one of the 42 gates assigned in the fence to allow the Palestinians to reach their lands – are closed permanently, and many of the others are closed from time to time or only open seasonally. Moreover, the policy of permits given to Palestinians to reach their lands has changed, despite Israel’s specific undertakings to allow transit to the lands to all those that do not have any security prohibition, and prove of land ownership (which is very problematic) will not serve as justification for non transit. In practice, 65% of those refused are on the background of land ownership – whether because the applicant is the grandson of the registered owner, or because it is his wife’s, or leased, or because the land was not properly registered, etc, etc. – the objective being to prevent the working of the land for three years, whereupon Ottoman law would allow confiscation (in passing, it becomes clear that much of the land beyond the fence was confiscated and became state lands already in the 1980s – a fact that they neglected to tell the Palestinian owners, who continue to cultivate the land without knowing that they have for some time been dispossessed. It is only recently, when they were refused permits to work the land, that it became clear that their share in the land is no longer theirs. There is no knowing how many such cases there are).12:00 – Gate 1392/1393 – Habla Gate located before Jaljuliya Checkpoint (Qalqiliya), serving as entry to the Territories: hours of operation 06:45 – 08:00, 12:00 – 13:00, 16:00 – 17:00. The gate was open, manned by three soldiers. An elderly man goes from soldier to soldier, begging to be allowed to work his land. Apparently he was caught for the third time in Israel (we have been told in the past that some people exploit this gate beyond which there are no checkpoints in order to sneak into Israel to make a living) – and his permit was taken from him. He would continue to beg until 13:00 when the gate would be closed, without him having crossed. Another man waits on the other side by the interior gate. In answer to our question, the checkpoint commander indicates a pile of scrap – pipes and items that look like air conditioner motors, and says that on the previous day the man tried to smuggle these items out of Israel. He was caught and the items were impounded. It becomes clear to us that the army serves not only as our defenders, but also as police, customs and court bailiff! A man with a permit, cart and scraggly horse is not allowed through because he has sacks of (Israeli made) chemical fertilizer, and the fertilizer has no permit. Close to 13:00, a representative from the DCO [District Coordination Office of the IDF Civil Authority, that oversees passage permits], who also serves as expert on toxic materials when necessary, arrives and rests his x-ray fingers on the suspicious sacks, and confirms that they are okay. A youngster arrives in order to cross to his land, and his permit is taken from him. The soldiers say he was caught two days earlier in Israel and contended that he did not have his permit on him. His ID number was registered at the checkpoint and, today, when he came to cross, his permit was taken.13:00 – Ras Atiyah, after the turn to Alfei Menashe, also on the western (Israeli) side of the Qalqiliya border crossing, the eastward exit from Habla enclave is closed from all sides. This is where the permit holders from Ras Atiyah come out. There is still no checkpoint between them and the fence (at the entry checkpoint into Israel, usually, only entrants into Israel are inspected. But whoever wants to get to it from the West Bank will also have difficulties at Jajuliya Checkpoint and here, where a special pass is needed. The gate is open from 06:00 in the morning to 18:00 and is manned by Border Police, as opposed to the other gates which are manned by soldiers (does anyone know the criteria?). At Habla Checkpoint and also here we see that concrete buildings have been erected (to arrange the checks better according to one of the women soldiers) – akin to small terminals. Needs to be checked regarding Ras Atiyah since there is a High Court order regarding the changed routing of the fence here.13:40 – the entrance to Azun, Route 55 – three reserve soldiers prevent our entry but allow free passage to the Palestinians, a somewhat refreshing change (we shall see whether they got the orders confused…), so we were unable to reach Azun, Atma and Mescha. In order to reach Ar-Ras Checkpoint from behind the Schoolchildren’s Gate at Jubara, we traveled a roundabout route via Funduk.14:30 A-Ras Checkpoint – a checkpoint [originally a mobile roadblock] that becomes more and more permanent each time I get to it. Now there is already an ugly sort of watchtower, concrete blocks and plastic walls dividing between the various lanes – order there must be!!! One by one!! We are after all a nation known for our propensity for order!!! And especially when we enforce it on somebody else! A crowd of people stand 50 metres away from the soldiers on each side. Nobody passes. They have been waiting more than an hour. The soldiers say there was a terror strike, and they do not wonder at all about the connection between that and people who simply want to go home, or to the doctor, or to work… I ask Tami C to talk to the brigade commander, and she comes back with his negative and angry response. There was a terror strike – and no one passes! Everyone is to be punished!!! Let them learn… We hear the orders to the soldiers: even ambulances and UN are not to pass. The people talk to us. Bitter, not understanding, sure in their innocence that if they only ask the Israeli people, and not their government, everything will be okay. Yeah!! Sure!! An ambulance arrives with blinking lights. It was sent to collect a head injury from Faroun. Tami and I go to a soldier who tells us to call the ambulance over and, after a perfunctory check, passes it through. It seems that it was not because of us. He already had notice over the radio about the coming of the ambulance, with an order to let it through. A woman sitting in a car with a Red Cross decal on the window comes over to us with bottles wrapped in plastic, and says she is transporting whole blood which will deteriorate if kept too long out of refrigeration. They let her through after we talk to the checkpoint commander. An elderly well-dressed man walks towards the soldiers and, when they shout to him to halt, he spreads his hands at his sides and calls out, innocently and gently, “But I only want to go home.” Just like that. No excuses. The most basic thing in the world. To go home, to wife and children. And he doesn’t understand why not… Nor do we. Like a fist in the abdomen… A bulldozer crosses the checkpoint and turns south. They all say he’s on his way to block entrance to Beit Lid, which had already been blocked in the past.. We decide to drive after him.From their distance, the people can’t talk or explain to the soldiers, or even make an emergency request. Before we leave, they ask us to get the DCO representative to come over to them. They want to talk to him. He is prepared, but the soldiers forbid him. We say that he is not fulfilling his duty. He is there precisely to deal with these people – with the local civilian population. And how can he deal with their problems if they have no opportunity to talk to him? And what about the sick or other emergencies. Nothing helps. The separation is total. Before we left, we took a phone number from one of the people. He was there till 18:00 and was not allowed to pass. Finally he gave up and left. We don’t know how long they were delayed – including a very elderly couple who had come to the checkpoint on foot.16:30, the southwestern entrance to Beit Lid – (Qalqiliya) – the bulldozer is finishing the earthworks [barriers], the concrete and a large part of the recently paved road (only two months ago, presumably with US or European Community aid, which now supports the apartheid of the roads by paving alternatives for the Palestinians). From now on, everyone will have to make a giant detour through Jit Junction where a huge checkpoint is being built, with many lanes like that at Zuatra – where they can activate and make more severe the bantustan policy called by Israel “separation.” Everything moves towards improvement of the prevention of movement, and all the talk of increased severity in the policy following the terror strike is throwing sand in the eyes of the public. The “construction” of this “severity” began long before the last terror strike was even in its planning stage… No sooner had the bulldozer departed than the women students from Qalqiliya began to pass by on their way from Nablus University, having been delayed by the eartwork in progress. Now they descended from their taxis and climbed the threatening mountain, even chatting good naturedly and warmly with us (some interior strength of spirit?). Another group, this time of men, was compelled to ascend the earthwork and, immediately, a Transit taxi arrived at the other side and all were rushing towards it. Within five minutes it was already possible to see the uproar and the filth and the ugliness of the Occupation as it would develop here in the next few days.16:50 Jus (south) Gate – hours of operation 07:30-07:45, 13:45-14:00, 17:00-17:45. The Gate will only open in another ten minutes, and a man is already waiting on the Jus side. He is the son of one of the two Bedouin families that live to the west of the fence, and have been cut off from the centre of their lives in Jus. This is their life, to cross in quarter hour gaps three times a day, whether it be to school, a grocery store, work, a chat with friends, visits to a doctor. At 17:00 precisely a Humvee arrives with two soldiers who open the gates, first on the far side and then the close one. They decide to pass through first two shepherds returning with their flocks from their lands, and the man waits patiently. Meanwhile another woman arrives with a child, from the direction of Jus – the mother of the waiting youngster. All three are required to bring their papers to the soldiers and to wait for the inspection, which should take exactly two minutes (without phone calls to anyone), because of today’s terror strike. After all, the soldiers know all of the ten people who live across the fence, and are in no need of the inspection of documents, but today it’s important to demonstrate power, so that they understand that at any moment the soldiers can decide not to let them pass on their way home. One of the youngsters who came with a flock of sheep asks us not to photograph him. He explains that he was hurt in the past, arrested and harassed by the security forces because of his activity with the internationals and the Rabbis for Human Rights. He lives near the gate and his land is there, close to the second gate, but the permit given him is for another gate – Palma Gate. Today the soldiers were merciful and let him pass, but quite often they decide to send him to the other gate – ten kilometres away. Why? Because!17:30 Jus (north) Gate – open all day. We see donkey carts hauling sparse produce, tractors, and even trucks. Lively enough movement of farmers returning from their day’s labour. In answer to our questions, they talk about changes in orders every day. One day they all have to lift their shirts and pirouette, when they are passing from the Israeli side of the fence to the village. What is there to check? One day a long wait, days when the gate isn’t open because the children throw stones inside the village. The people are bitter, but they insist that we accept loquats that they have brought from their trees.18:15 – on our way back, there is no checkpoint already at the entrance to Azun, but a Humvee is entering the village at this moment and it is not clear that there won’t be a checkpoint in another 10 minutes. We didn’t have the time to wait and see.