‘Azzun ‘Atma, Mon 6.2.12, Morning
06:35 Freezing cold. The Palestinians who are already waiting outside complain that they arrived at 3 AM and they only just now went through and everything takes a long time. There are about 60 people in line, only 2 inspection booths; the line is very dense, maybe so people can warm up.
A Palestinian vehicle arrives from the Israeli side, not clear where it is coming from, maybe it belongs to someone who lives in the houses opposite the checkpoint on the "Israeli" side of the wall. The passage through of individuals is quick, but the huge number of people needing to go through requires several additional inspection booths. The soldier says that they add more booths when it is raining – but why not every day? With 2 inspectors, does not matter how efficient they are, people stand a long time in line. We timed one person, and it took 50 minutes from his arrival until his exit. And that is at present, when the line is not so long; in the morning, there are many more people crowding together from fear that they will not succeed in getting through on time. The line does not decrease, as more people keep coming.
07:10 School children and adults arrive to get to their businesses in the village or elsewhere in Palestine. The gate opens and they go through. The gate also opens continually for workers who already passed through and need to return to get their tools, which have to pass another inspection by hand.
07:20 The line begins to shorten and whoever arrives a bit later naturally gets through faster. There are still workers waiting outside for their transportation. That is, they arrived much earlier so as not to miss their rides, and now, of course, they need to wait again. What torture.
We returned on the road along the wall, in the direction of Oranit. On one side, many flowering anenomes, white and red, almond trees, the pastoral vision of the spring is already celebrating; on the other side is the wall, threatening and blocking movement. The Tamar Gate is closed and there is no one around.
For technical reasons, our shift was short.
'Azzun 'Atma
See all reports for this place-
'Azzun 'Atma
A Palestinian village of about 1,800 residents. The settlement of Sha'arei Tikva was established on its land adjacent to it, and the settlement of Oranit was established on its agricultural lands. By 2013, the separation fence had passed through the village and a checkpoint staffed by the army allowed the residents to cross from side to side. After building a massive wall surrounding the village and some of its agricultural lands, the residents went daily for five years to their lands that remained in the Seam Zone through the Oranit agricultural checkpoint (4). Since 2018 it has only opened during the olive harvest and the farmers have to pass daily at the Beit Amin / Abu Salman checkpoint (1447), about 3 kilometers north.From a report from March 24, 2021: "The farmers from Beit Amin and Azon Atma are happy that since February 21 the Oranit checkpoint .is going to be open 3 times a day, The farmers are really developing the place."
Report from July 14, 2024: "Ornit checkpoint is closed . The Beit Amin/Abu Salman agricultural checkpoint is closed (there is no contact with the military to check if it opens rarely), the Ezbat Jaloud checkpoint was opened once a day before the war.
Updated for July 2024
Apr-11-2019Azoun: The main entrance to village blocked now for several weeks
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