Eyal Crossing, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Tue 26.1.10, Afternoon
Translation: Bracha B.A.
Eyal – 14:45
Two inspection posts are open and manned. There is no one at the crossing. We stayed there for about 15 minutes. People arrived and went through immediately.
15:15 – Irtah
When we arrived no cars were allowed to enter and vehicles were letting workers out in the area outside the gate. It looked a little dangerous with buses coming in afterwards with workers.
At 15:20 a red light goes on above the turnstile and the positions are empty. About 80 Palestinians gather to wait, and there are many women. After about 10 minutes two inspection positions open. However, people enter the hall but thyreare not coming out.
After 10 minutes of this the red light goes on again and we called the Ephraim Liaison and Coordination Administration. The pleasant soldier who answered said that people had reported that things were running smoothly, but evidently people coming in were being meticulously checked.
At 15:45 the people who had been waiting in the hall finally began to come out on the Palestinian side. Everyone is now coming out quickly and there is no line. No one even has to show documents. People are all smiling and happy that there is no line and they smile at us and pass out tangerines and cherries.
We left at 16:30.__._,_.___
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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