Eyal Crossing, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim)
3:55 Irtach
The gates haven't opened yet, and no people are in the yard and parking lot, but the area is littered.
The new guard post on the way to the separation barrier is not manned. There still aren't more toilets. (Afterthought: are there toilets for women?)
At the entrance to the checkpoint, there is a big crowd. Men climb over the barriers to move to the head of the line; we see more and more of this. We assume that they enter the humanitarian line, which is open on the Palestinian side but closed until later in the day on the Israeli side, and use it to squeeze in ahead of people who have been waiting longer.
4:07 The turnstiles open (seven minutes late) and people run madly to the metal detectors: men and women, young and old, all trying to be first in line.
Edith suggests that we drive over to Eyal to compare, since last week we were there later in the morning and saw that there was no pressure on the crossing.
4:30 Eyal
A well organized line (many people, but with no crowding) flows smoothly into the checkpoint. We choose a man to watch for, and he gets through in five minutes.
Again, we have a disagreement with guards who say we aren't allowed to walk up to the fence.
On our way back to the car we notice: (1) a long, orderly line of people calmly waiting for a bus (several public buses arrive at 4:40) and (2) the toilets are worse than at Irtach – there are two caravans, one permanently closed. The one that's open has two doorways, no light, and appears dilapidated.
4:55 Back at Irtach
There's a line of people waiting for the toilets.
A man tells us that this morning the turnstiles at the exit into Israel didn't open until a large crowd collected. He said he went back into the facility to tell a guard about the problem. The guard said the turnstiles were open. The eye-witness said they weren't, but the guard ignored him. Only when the crowd backed up far enough that no one could leave the building, did someone remember to push the button.
He also said that at one point the entrance to the facility closed for a quarter of an hour. We witnessed this ourselves when we came to Irtach on a Wednesday morning, but never on Sundays.
At the entrance, there's a lot of pressure. People climb over the barriers between the lines, and the people below shout at the ones who squeeze in.
The turnstiles open and close periodically – typically open for about two minutes, closed for three to five.
At the exit into Israel, both turnstiles are now in operation. People pass through easily, with no jams. A woman whom we chose to watch for comes through five minutes after she entered the building, a man takes eleven minutes.
What a difference between the two checkpoints. At Eyal the lines are controlled, public buses are available, the people are calm.
At Irtach the lines are crowded, the wait to get through is long, only private transportation is available, people are tired and angry before they even get to work.
Eyal Checkpoint / Crossing
See all reports for this place-
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.
-
Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)
See all reports for this place-
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.
-