Barta’a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya’bed-Dotan
15.30 Tura-Shaked Checkpoint
At this season, when everything is all green and calm, is really pastoral . . .
Cars pass quickly through the checkpoint, and someone says to us “Everything is OK today”. We offered a not-so-young man, who had walked some distance, a lift to the checkpoint, but he refused. When he reached the checkpoint we asked him why he had refused. He answered that he didn’t want to cause any trouble either for him or us, because it is forbidden to give or take lifts, and it might cause him to lose his work permit.
We met S., an inhabitant of Dahr al Malech, who greeted us by telling us that his children, who live in Ya’bed, can’t receive a permit to cross through the checkpoint to help him cultivate his land. He said, “The authorities want us to leave our land. But we will never leave our land! It will never happen!
16 – 16.30 Yabed-Dotan checkpoint
Lines of cars on both sides of the checkpoint passed through slowly, one by one.
On the other side of the checkpoint we saw H., who used to run the coffee and sweets stand at the Reihancheckpoint, and now who works there as a cleaner. He claimed that he had been detained for six hours and he didn’t know why. He stood beside his (new) car and we saw figures inside. The sergeant approached us and claimed that H. was detained for three hours and not six, because he had with him in the car someone without an ID, and that he took something out of the car’s boot, and didn’t stop when he was told to. H. was very nervous and asked us to help him. He claimed that he had a lot of work and that he had been held for hours. Ruti T. made a phone call to the deputy commander of the checkpoint, Ron, and asked him to investigate what was happening and to help H. to continue on his way. She was told that this would be dealt with, and she informed H. of this.
16.30 – 16.50 Barta’a Reihan Checkpoint
A long and congested line of Palestinians returning from work has formed, and there was a long queue inside the terminal. Only one inspection window was open, and later we were told that none of the windows was operating. The checkpoint security officer told us that there was a problem with the computers. We received the same answer on previous occasions (the main computer in Tel Aviv needs to be repaired). People started to bang on the gates.
We left at 16.50
Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint
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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).
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Tura-Shaked
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Tura-Shaked
This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.
- fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)
Mar-21-2022Anin Checkpoint: A magnificent breach in the center of the checkpoint
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Ya'bed-Dotan
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Ya’bed-Dotan
This checkpoint is located on road 585, at the crossroads of Mevo Dotan settler-colony / Jenin/ Ya’abad. It has an army watchtower (‘pillbox’ post) and concrete blocs that slow down vehicular traffic. It was erected when Barta’a Checkpoint, lying to the west on the Separation Fence, was privatized and its operation was passed over to civilian security personnel. Since December 2009 this checkpoint enables flow of Palestinian vehicular traffic towards the Barta’a Checkpoint. Seldom is it manned by soldiers sitting in the watchtower, who conduct random inspections of vehicles and passengers. (february 2020)
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