‘Azzun, Eliyahu Crossing, Habla, Wed 31.8.11, Morning
Translation: Suzanne O.
Id el Fitr – Festival. Very few coming and going.
Habla, agricultural gate
7:25 a.m.
A vehicle is parked. Many soldiers are present. 4 people leave the inspection building, dressed in their 'Sunday best', "Going to the Police Station" (?) 7 minutes later the roadblock gate opens and the parked car goes on its way. The reason for the vehicle being held up is a mistake in the vehicle licence number in the driver's permit so they had to wait for the vehicle owners to arrive and take it across.
There is light traffic to and from the roadblock of cars, a tractor and people. The gate will remain open until 9:00 a.m., open again at 12:00 p.m., until 1:00 p.m. and in the evening from 5:45 p.m., until 7:00 p.m.
Eliyahu Crossing
6:05 a.m.
Clear on both sides.
Azzun
8:10 a.m.
The yellow iron barrier in the village is open. Youngsters sitting near it said that everything is fine, no problems.
Jayyus
8:25 a.m.
The shops are closed, there are no people around. It rained the whole night and now it is just drizzling.
We heard about a new Shabak commander, his name is Rafik, (we wonder if his ethnic group gets privileges for his devoted service) and he sets up a spot roadblock [once every few days, several times a day] at the entrance to the village. He takes young boys of 14, 15, 16 into the Shabak cars and coax them to become informers through threats or enticement (I'll give you a work permit and entrance to Israel – promises he obviously cannot fulfil at his level) so that they co-operate with the Shabak and inform on the inhabitants. Using suitable pressure it is possible to get information even if it is lies but this makes no difference to the Shabak, and then they frighten us saying there are warnings. (See the article published today in the newspaper Ha'aretz about Zigmunt Bauman ' Israelis are afraid of Peace'.) The inhabitants complain of looting of 9600 dunams which were plundered including 7 wells for the settlement Zufin, close to Kibbutz Ayal, Kokhav Yair and Tsur Natan. The council was informed that the fence will be moved westward and they will returne2600 dunams, plus one well only, to be divided between the other adjacent villages: Kafr Jammal and Falamiya.
For them to get to their lands in order to work them there is only one gate (927) at Jayyus, which opens for just half an hour three times a day. The location of the gate takes up a lot of their time getting to their lands.
We drove to Falamiya via Kafr Jammal. The roads are empty, the shops are closed. We reached gate 919 at Falamiya.
We met the head of the village at the dividing fence (a Hadj (pilgrim) who has been to Mecca 4 times) who hosted us. On the security system road two vehicles drive up and down, they observe us and report on their wireless. Gate 919 opens just for the olive picking season 3 times a day: 5:00 – 5:30 a.m., 12:00 – 12:30 p.m., and 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. The final time should be noted: this is when it is still possible to return to the village – there is still plenty of light and much work to do for the olive picking. We recommend going to the gate during the olive picking season to check on the conditions for crossing while it is functioning.
We drove to see the agricultural gate at Falamiya, gate no. 927. The gate is open for cars and agricultural machinery. The inhabitants who have lands beyond the fence must, each period (a month, two months, three, a year – depending on the preference of those allotting permits) request crossing permits at the gate and they can cross only via this gate to their lands, even if prolongs their journey greatly.
We returned via Kur, Baqat al Hatab, Hajja to Al Funduq. At Al Funduq there is heavy traffic and the shops are open.
We drove on Road 5066 in the direction of Emanuel and saw a roadblock at the exit from Haris and a queue of about 10 cars which didn't move at all for some 5 minutes. We went over and, after the roadblock commander confirmed who we are, the queue moved quickly and disappeared. One of the drivers told us that he had waited half an hour "just for nothing". It would be worthwhile for us to turn up there from time to time.
Our recommendation: to set up patrols on the roads between the villages.
'Azzun
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Azoun (updated February 2019)
A Palestinian town situated in Area B (under civil Palestinian control and Israeli security control),
on road 5 between Nablus and Qalqiliya, east of Nabi Elias village. The inhabitants are allowed to construct and improve infrastructures. The Separation Fence has confiscated lands belonging to the town's people. In 2018 olive tree groves owned by one of its inhabitants were confiscated for the sake of paving a road to bypass Nabi Elias. Azoun population numbers 13,000, its economic state dire. Its infrastructures are poor, neglect and poverty rampant. In the meantime, the town council has completed paving an internal road for the inhabitants' welfare.
Because of its proximity to the Jewish settler-colony of Karnei Shomron and its outposts, the town suffers the intense presence of the Israeli army, especially at nighttime: soldiers enter homes, arrest suspects, trash the house and sometimes ruin it, as they do in numerous places in the West Bank. At times a checkpoint closes the entrance to the town, so no one can come in or get out.
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing This checkpoint, also known as the Fruit Crossing, is one of the main checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank. It is located on Route 55 between Alfei Menashe and the turn to Qalqilya and Zufin, more than 4 km east of the Green Line, in the separation fence, which separates Qalqilya from its lands to the south, thus leaving Alfei Menashe West of the fence - the Seam Zone. This checkpoint, a few kilometers across the Green Line, is intended for "Israeli settlement in the West Bank and the population of the Seam Zone." It is managed by a civil company. Palestinians with a special permit for their lands in the seam area are also allowed to pass through it, on foot, and sometimes by car.
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Habla
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Habla CP (1393)
The Habla checkpoint (1393) was established on the lands of the residents of Qalqilya, on the short road that
connected it for centuries to the nearby town of Habla. The separation barrier intersects this road twice and cut off the residents of Qalqilya from their lands in the seam zone.(between the fence and the green line).
There is a passage under Road 55 that connects Qalqilya to the sabotage This agricultural barrier is used by the farmers and nursery owners established along Road 55 from the Green Line and on both sides of the kurkar road leading to the checkpoint.
This agricultural checkpoint serves the residents of Arab a-Ramadin al-Janoubi (detached from the West Bank), who pass through it to the West Bank and back to their homes. The opening hours (3 times a day) of this agricultural checkpoint are longer than usual, about an hour (recently shortened to 45 minutes), and are coordinated with the transportation hours of a-Ramadin children studying in the occupied in the West Bank.
Ronit Dahan-RamatiApr-25-2025Habla Checkpoint: system of gates
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