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Eyal Crossing, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Sun 3.6.12, Morning
Observers: Annalin, Liora (reporting), Ayelet S (translator)
04:07: Good morning, the workday has begun
The turnstiles at the entrance to the CP are open, but the green light is still not on, apparently out of order.
Women arriving at this early hour have to wait and pass through with the men. Approaching the magnometer, they move a bit aside and the men allow them through together. (There is a separate exit exclusively for women, but it functions only on Sundays at 04:00) .
Preparing themselves for the magnometer, some of the workmen emptied out their bags in advance. Until 04:25 passage ran smoothly. We decide to cross over to other side to watch the exiting folk. (We saw no other observers there today.)
At the exit, the same speedy pace. But at 04:33, the turnstile suddenly stops operation. About 30 Palestinians are waiting to get out and the number is growing rapidly. From within we hear a cry: "Sigal, to shikuf 4", and then: "back to normal". All this took 2 minutes, but the jam and pressure this caused to the rapidly revolving turnstile was overwhelming.
In the compound, on its "bridge", we noticed armed guards. Near the wall and the posts at the exit we saw a group conducting their prayer. Above, a signpost saying: "Exit to parking lots. Have a pleasant and safe stay."
The activity is quiet and efficient. Just one of the women remarked to us: "no good, not in order". Why? We encountered an acquaintance who remarked that Sunday is the worst day. We decided to leave at 05:00. In the area in front of the CP there were many people, sipping coffee, smoking, praying, awaiting their rides to work.
05:17 Eyal Checkpost
Lots of Palestinians are already awaiting their rides to work. We asked for permission to get through and view the entrance to the CP. An official who seemed harsh, turned out talkative and relaxed and agreed to have us cross over for five minutes. He told us that the number of passers-through was 4500-7000 per day and explained that the whole lot crossed through in 4 hours, meaning an average of 1000 persons per hour. He thinks that the commander of this CP, Shimon Levi, did all he could to ease passage here. There were appointed "orderlies" in the queues, workmen who also got through into Israel, but while on line they would moderate within the queue and prevent mishaps. One of the main problems in the past was that of the merchants. They have permits to trade in Israel but they are now allowed passage only from 07:00 onward to prevent excessive crowding – The orderlies now supervise their participation in the queue. (Has the same arrangement been affected in "Sha'ar Efrayim", where we heard similar complaints?). The orderlies also oversee the separate women's line. Our guide also advocated that better manners and nicer speech were in affect now and some employees had been fired on that account. He suggested that …"after all the Palestinian passers-through were not to blame for the conflict and that they simply wanted to earn their living…Organizations such as yours (ie, MachsomWatch) are very important for a Democratic country"!!!
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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