Deir Sharaf, Habla, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Thu 22.3.12, Morning
Habla, Dir a Sharaf, Anabta, Irtach 22 March 2012
Translation: Suzanne O.
Habla
6:45 a.m.
The gates opened at 6:00 a.m. (they are open until 8:15 a.m.). On our arrival there were no people on the other side of the Palestinian gate. The last group left after inspection. Later there were only a few people crossing. We left at the arrival of the first school bus.
7:30 a.m.
We drove in the direction of Road 60 so as to get to Dir – a Sharaf. On the way we were held up by a big traffic jam on both sides of the road. Near Alfei Menashe there was a group of police who signalled us to slow down but did not require us to stop. Only later, when we had moved further on through the jam did we understand: near Kdumim a Palestinian lorry had shed its load of sacks of cement on and around the road. A huge cloud of dust was in the air. Police directed the traffic and moved one car at a time.
Dir – a Sharaf
8:15 a.m.
We drove via the village of Sara. The traffic to and from Nablus flowed unimpeded. In conversation at the grocery shop we were told that the day before (and first thing in the morning) settlers from Gilad Farm invaded one of the outlying houses in Jit and took/kidnapped some of the family. In response people from the village started off towards Gilad Farm, but the army, who had arrived meantime, stopped them confronting the settlers. During the melee which ensued the Palestinian family were released. These serious details should be looked into further.
In Dir – a Sharaf
Close to the old turning to Shavei Shomron the road is being widened to become a dual carriageway, with finance from the EU of course. We saw two young women there busy counting the vehicles passing by for a survey. The very fact that women are employed in this area is encouraging.
There is still no petrol station in this busy area, although an application was submitted quite a while ago.
9:00 a.m.
On our way back we went into Irtach/Sha'ar Efrayim. There were still 'vans' belonging to private tour companies in the car park. Labourers were already nowhere to be seen. On the other side of the fence was a large group, mostly women, getting on buses to visit prisoners.
Deir Sharaf checkpoint
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Deir Sharaf checkpoint is located west of Nablus and south of the settlement of Shavei Shomron, at the entrance to the village of Deir Sharaf on the road leading to Nablus. The checkpoint was activated in early March 2009 after the Beit Iba checkpoint was closed. Palestinians are allowed through the checkpoint , but not for Israelis. Unlike the checkpoints leading to Qalqilya and Tulkarm, crossing of Israeli Palestinians is only allowed on Saturdays.
Nina SebaFeb-28-2024Deir Sharaf - the entrance to the village
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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.
Nina SebaAug-18-2025Habla: The gate is in the process of closing
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Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)
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The checkpoint is for Palestinians only. It is the main barrier to the passage of workers from the northern West Bank to Israel. Workers with a permit to work in Israel and also for trade (with appropriate permissions), medicine, and visiting prisoners. One can cross the checkpoint only on foot. The checkpoint is located north of Road 557 and south of Tulkarm. Operated by a civil security company, opening hours: between 4:00 and 19:00 on weekdays. As members of Machsom Watch, we began our shifts to this location in 2007. We arrived before it opened at 4 in the morning and report since, on the harsh conditions and the long and crowded queues of workers. The workers who pass by continue their journey by transportation to work throughout Israel. In the first period of its activity, about 3,000 and then 5,000 people passed through this checkpoint every day. Due to the small number of checking points and arbitrary delays for long periods of time in the "rooms", workers feared losing their transportation. Hence workers leave their homes at 2:30 at night to be among the first. Today, 15,000 pass and the transition is faster. Workers are still leaving their homes very early to get past the checkpoint at 7 p.m. In an adjacent compound, there is a terminal for the transfer of goods on a commercial scale, using the back-to-back method.
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