Barta’a-Reihan, Ya’bed-Dotan
15:00 – Shaked – Tura Checkpoint
It is quiet and few people are crossing. A teacher returns from work, a family, and several students cross the checkpoint. The area around the checkpoint is still filthy. It is an embarrassment to the IDF. We left at 15:20.
An army jeep is parked in the olive grove opposite Yaabed facing the village.
15:40 – Ya'abed Checkpoint
Here, too the area is littered. The papers thrown on the ground are in Arabic, which means that people have thrown them out of their cars, but it is a military zone and should be cleaned up by the army.
Lines of cars on both sides of the checkpoint are waiting to cross. The soldier, who is in no hurry, signals two cars from each side. He speaks with some of the drivers, and others cross without delay. He asks one driver to pull over and open the trunk. It appears that there is no method to the inspections, but there is a delay and drivers are irritated. One of them honks his horn.
16:15 – Reihan – Barta'a Checkpoint
The Palestinian parking lot is completely filled and there is no possibility of getting in. There are a lot of cars parked along the road as well. We descended the sleeve. At this time of day many workers are returning from work, and a line forms next to the turnstile. Only one inspection window is operating and the line grows by the minute.
We call R., and he promises to do something about the long waiting line. People complain about the crowded conditions in the morning, and ask that they be allowed to cross at 04:00.
We left at 16:45.
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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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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