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Ar-Ras, Eyal, Irtah, Jubara (Kafriat), Sun 20.1.08, Morning

Observers: Observers : Leah Sh. Rachel H. (reporter) Translator: Orna B.
Jan-20-2008
| Morning

7:00 Eyal checkpoint
We reached Eyal in order to get a man, who had been refused entry by the police or the Military Intelligence, to sign a power of attorney so we can find out the reason for this refusal. We waited for about half an hour and during that time many workmen went through the checkpoint without any delays.

7:35 Irtach
Here too the passage is fast, although one workman claimed that he had been there since 4:30 and tha the went through only half an hour ago, (“How can you get work at this hour?”). We saw no one on the Tulkarm side. In the parking lot buses await prisoners’ visits and several women are seen leaving the installation.

7:45 Jubara
There was no queue. Car are stopped but go through rapidly. We immediately got a permit to pass through.

7:50 A-ras
There is a queue of five vehicles from the Tulkarm dirction. A lorry which had tried to overtake was sent back to the end of the queue. The soldiers are friendly towards recognized passers by.

8:10 Anabta
From south there is a queue of 4 cars, among them Israeli Arabs too. The soldiers stop and talk the drivers but don’t always check the certificates. From north a very long queue the end of which could not be seen. When we returned from Beit Iba at 9:30 we saw a very long queue which blocked the passage in the junction with Route 557. We were in a hurry and did not stop to check the situation.

  • A-Ras (The Children Checkpoint)

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    • A-Ras (The Children Checkpoint)
      On Tulkarm-Qalqiliya road (574), east of Hirbet Jubara. tia checkpoint is dedicated to residents traveling to and from Tulkarm, so they should not cross apartheid road 557 (only permissible for settlers).

  • Eyal Checkpoint / Crossing

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    •   Eyal Checkpoint is intended for pedestrians and Palestinians only. This is the main barrier for workers to cross from the center of the West Bank. Workers with a work permit to enter Israel can pass through it for trade, medicine, and visiting prisoners. The checkpoint was built on the Green Line north of Qalqilya in the separation barrier that surrounds the city. The checkpoint began operating in 2004 by the military. Opening hours on weekdays from 04:00 to 19:00. We started holding shifts there in 2007. We arrived at the checkpoint before it opened at 4 in the morning. We reported on the difficult conditions and the long and cramped queues of workers who must continue their journey by commuting to work throughout Israel. At the end of June 2009, the checkpoint was operated by a civil security company, The transit time has been gradually shortened, today it is faster, but the Palestinians still have to arrive very early to make it to the transportation. Usually, about 15,000 people pass through.
  • Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)

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    • The checkpoint is for Palestinians only. It is the main barrier to the passage of workers from the northern West Bank to Israel. Workers with a permit to work in Israel and also for trade (with appropriate permissions), medicine, and visiting prisoners. One can cross the checkpoint only on foot. The checkpoint is located north of Road 557 and south of Tulkarm. Operated by a civil security company, opening hours: between 4:00 and 19:00 on weekdays. As members of Machsom Watch, we began our shifts to this location in 2007. We arrived before it opened at 4 in the morning and report since, on the harsh conditions and the long and crowded queues of workers. The workers who pass by continue their journey by transportation to work throughout Israel. In the first period of its activity, about 3,000 and then 5,000 people passed through this checkpoint every day. Due to the small number of checking points and arbitrary delays for long periods of time in the "rooms", workers feared losing their transportation. Hence workers leave their homes at 2:30 at night to be among the first. Today, 15,000 pass and the transition is faster. Workers are still leaving their homes very early to get past the checkpoint at 7 p.m. In an adjacent compound, there is a terminal for the transfer of goods on a commercial scale, using the back-to-back method.  
  • Jubara (Kafriat)

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    •   The Jabra checkpoint was on Road 557, south of Tulkarm, on the side of the Figs Pass, which is located within the Palestinian Authority (a few kilometers east of the Green Line), and serves as an entry barrier from the territories to Israel. The checkpoint to the village of Jubara, which until 2013 was in the seam area, blocked and surrounded by a fence, was intended for the passage of the family members of the house next to the checkpoint, and also for the MachsomWatch volunteers (with special permission only), on their way to checkpoint 753. on the other side of the village. The soldiers supervising the "fig crossing" also supervised the crossing at this checkpoint, in our shifts we often waited a long time until the key was found and the gate opened. The checkpoint was abolished and became part of the separation fence that was moved west following the High Court.  
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