Eyal Crossing, ‘Anabta, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), יום ג’ 11.8.09, אחה”צ
Macky S. Riva B.
Natanya translating.
Irtach. Only one checking post open with 5 men waiting in the blistering sun outside. We phone the humanitarian centre to check with the DCO but in a few minutes the turnstile opens and all enter. A swift passage. The turnstiles keep opening and closing but the passage is quick. It is sad to see people coming from the parking lot at a run because of the fear that it will close (it seems that this is the conclusion that the workers come to) . After 15 minutes the turnstile again closes and the line outside does not move. About 100 people crowd in the sun and men people in a hurry joine them. It is not clear why this happens. Again we phone the centre and try to phone directly to the DCo in which is engaged all the time. We spoke to the people waiting. One of them came from Jenin at 5.00 and works in Ashkelon and will not have to just go home. The journey had cost him 40 shekel.
After about 15 minutes people again go in with no delay and some more turnstiles are opened. The passage is swift.
At 16.30 we leave for Anabta. When we were in the car looking at the lines of those wishing to leave Tulkarm women shouted to us to check whey the gate had not been opened for a long time. They are a group of tourists…human rights group?….who were going to Tel Aviv. We went back to the parking lot and asked the person watching outside to report this inside. The besieged goal is a "passage" but it is very frustrating just to make a simple effort to make contact with a "human" voice, not to speak of the actual passage.
16.45 Anabta. Many cars go past with no queuing. A random checking for cars exiting and entering and for some reason maybe for those entering Tulkarm.
17.10 Irtach. A very small stream of people who arrive and immediately go in.
17.35 The Ayal crossing. The turnstiles are open all the time and the passage is swift.
Here we have complaints about the small and crowded "rooms" in which people sometimes spend 45 minutes to one and a half hours and it is not clear who is sent there or what is happening to them. They claim that there are some people who are always "invited." When they go into the room they have to give their ID (with no personal contact or any explanation) and at the end they get it back on a small stick or something like that which looks like cotton wool and again without being told why. Or what the material which is used at the entrance and the bitter fear of this difficult passage.
18.10 We left.
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'Anabta CP
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'Anabta CP
The checkpoint is located south of the village of 'Anabta, at the intersection of Road 60 (leading to Nablus at the entrance to Area A), with Road (57, 557, 5576) facing west towards the Einav settlement and the checkpoint at the exit from the West Bank - Figs checkpoint. Until 2010 we used to watch the intersection and report the long columns created due to a slow inspection of the vehicles in both directions.
Oct-28-2011Anabta checkpoint 24.10.11
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Eyal Checkpoint / Crossing
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Eyal Checkpoint is intended for pedestrians and Palestinians only. This is the main barrier for workers to cross from the center of the West Bank. Workers with a work permit to enter Israel can pass through it for trade, medicine, and visiting prisoners. The checkpoint was built on the Green Line north of Qalqilya in the separation barrier that surrounds the city. The checkpoint began operating in 2004 by the military. Opening hours on weekdays from 04:00 to 19:00. We started holding shifts there in 2007. We arrived at the checkpoint before it opened at 4 in the morning. We reported on the difficult conditions and the long and cramped queues of workers who must continue their journey by commuting to work throughout Israel. At the end of June 2009, the checkpoint was operated by a civil security company, The transit time has been gradually shortened, today it is faster, but the Palestinians still have to arrive very early to make it to the transportation. Usually, about 15,000 people pass through.
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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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