‘Azzun, Ras ‘Atiya
Issla, 10am
We met the council head, who reported on various problems.
Gates: Hours are 07:45 – 08:00, and 15:15 – 15:30, but often they're not opened on time, with no advance notice. If nobody is there, they close early. They sometimes close even when they see people approaching. These hours leave a net workday of only 5 hours, but he has to pay for a full day.
Sheep: Till 3 weeks ago the village’s 600 sheep could graze in Azzun lands across the fence. Now they no longer have permits for the sheep, and despite of the plentiful grass all around, they must be fed with purchased food.
Permits: Some people with permits are denied passage, and some have permits that allow passage "despite of passage denial" (so say the permits). While we were there we recieved a phone call reporting that gate 746, which was supposed to open at 8am, was not. Inquiry led to the answer that due to the weather, people didn't go out to work today. Tell it to those who waited at the gate 2 hours … The DCO was aware of work that needed to be done, since we had pleaded for it for over 2 weeks.
Azzun
Many Palestinian police around. Apparently, to prevent striking teachers from joining the demonstrations in Ramallah.
Gate Ras Tira 1263
A seasonal gate, just for the olive harvest.
Izvat Jaloud gate
It was closed.
Ras Atiya Gate (Wadi Tin)
Also closed except for olive harvesting. Ras Tira gate, 1327 (North). Seasonal gate, opening times unclear.
Wadu Rasha gate 1360
Open to pedestrians, Saturdays 9-9:15 and 16:00-16:15, year round.
'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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Ras 'Atiya
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The checkpoint is presently on the Separation Barrier roadway, manned and open 12 hours a day, from 6:30 to 18:30. West of it is the large Seam Line village whose school is attended by children from the nearby villages east of the Barrier and many of whose inhabitants have permits to work in Israel. How long this checkpoint will remain in place is unknown, since construction of the Separation Wall, just by the settlement of Alfe Menashe, east of the present Separation Barrier, is endless, as is the creation of a new road and, obviously, a new checkpoint.
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