Hamra, Tayasir, Thu 14.5.09, Afternoon

The army is again using the Valley as a playground at the expense of the residents. Military tents are spread over the whole area: tanks, flags and soldiers in training.
At the Tayasir CP at 13:45 soldiers are inspecting everybody who wants to go through from the Nablus area to the Valley and those going in the other direction. The workers have to obey all the instructions of the soldiers by answering a series of questions: these include instructions to have the documents examined, to show their stomachs, open their bags and demonstrate honesty. As always the driver lets the passengers out at a great distance from the inspection area and they are forced to walk up to the CP. In a few cases very small children or very old people remain in the car. Every time that happened the soldiers warned the drivers that this is the last time that such a thing against the rules can occur.
"Next time, I'll have you stand at the gate for an hour, so you'll remember to let the child out of the car." said one of the officers to a driver who left a toddler in the car even though he took care to let the rest of the passengers (three women and small children) out beforehand.
A number of cars were turned back because only the cars of the Jordan Valley residents can go to the Jordan Valley. Visitors are not allowed to go through in their cars. And, furthermore, Palestinians are allowed to drive only cars that are registered in their names.
In at least one instance, the driver was sent to the Hamra CP which is between Nablus and the Valley "because you can only leave from there".
"Let them through — they have nothing on them" says the CP commander to one of the soldiers doing inspection, in reference to five children aged between 5 and 8.
15:15 The gate opposite the settlement of Ro'i (Gochya) is locked and a jeep with soldiers is nearby. This is one of the few good hours of the week when residents are allowed to go through here in a car.
We meet a friend who lives opposite the CP near Humseh. He is not allowed to go through from here even when the gate is open because half a year he lived in Jiftlik, a nearby village, so he does not have the right to be included in the list of selected residents — They are forced to transport their containers of water by the long and expensive way around through the Hamra CP. On Tuesday morning, he says, neighbors of his waited for three hours and the soldiers did not arrive in order to open the gate. Two weeks ago, soldiers came at night to the encampment and made a lot of noise. They ran over a sheep with the jeep and when the residents threatened to complain, a soldier said, "no problem, go and complain!" They did bring a complaint to the civilian administration with the number of the jeep and a description of the soldiers. Nothing came of it.
At the Hamra CP at 16:00, the soldier announces that he has instructions to close the CP because we are there, and he says: "What do you want? The Arabs go through here without any problems." Afterwards, they are instructed by radio not to shut the CP. One of the taxi drivers tells us how last week he had a bride in his taxi. She was dressed up and made up for the wedding. The soldiers wanted her to get out just like everybody else and to go through the turnstile. She did not agree both because of the dress and because she did not want to. To punish her they sent them to the back of the queue for an extra half hour. Ten cars on their way to Nablus are in the inspection queue, as well as six cars on their way to the Valley.
One of the soldiers stands near the concrete hut and waves to the drivers with his club. That is the way he shows them that they can go ahead. Here, too, the inspection is like that of Tayasir. Here too, people approach the area of the inspection with hesitant steps; they do not know what kind of soldiers will be there today. Here too cars were sent back. The soldier with the club shows the taxi driver that he has to take a valise down from the roof of the car, to put it on the ground and to show what is in it.
Gochya
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Gochya checkpoint, which is opposite Beqaot settlement, is a metal bar blocking a dirt road in the Jordan Valley that prevents residents living in the eastern Jordan Valley from travelling freely to the western Jordan Valley and back again. This checkpoint, which is supposed to open only three times a week for half an hour (and usually doesn’t open at all), prevents residents living in the eastern Jordan Valley from accessing the town of Tamun, for example, which serves as a regional urban center. They’re prevented from maintaining contact with family members, obtaining medical treatment, getting to school and shopping, etc. Children from the eastern Jordan Valley are compelled to live during the week with families in Tamun to insure they are able to attend school regularly. The locals must make long detours, and risk severe punishment if they’re caught. In order to prevent them from bypassing the checkpoint, the IDF dug a series of long, deep ditches around the checkpoint and created very high earthen berms.
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Hamra (Beqaot)
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One of the Jordan Rift Valley checkpoints that prevent direct transit between the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, in addition to Tayasir Checkpoint. Located next to Hamra settlement, on Route 57 and the Allon Road.
Read about the peple of the Jordan Valley and the quiet transfer happening there.
Shahar ShiloahNov-3-2021Ein Shibli: grazing begins close to home
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Tayasir CP
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Located on road 5799, It is one of the checkpoints control the passage between the northern West Bank and the Jordan Valley. For a long time, it stood empty and open, with only a sign next to it warning against entering Area A. It was adjacent to an old military camp - now everything is neglected. How much money was invested here, and how much brainwashing was done to the soldiers of Netzah Yehuda and Kfir.
Today, it is very difficult to pass there. Many delays. Often, teachers from Tubas are not allowed to pass into the Valley to villages like Ein al-Bida where the local schools are located, and there are no classes. There are additional days when the checkpoint is closed. In general, there is a wait there of about two to four hours to go towards the Valley and also to return. Many times the Palestinians are forced to use the Hamra checkpoint, which also leads into Tubas and the West Bank, but there is also a huge queue there and a long wait.
Following a deadly attack on soldiers at the nearby base in February 2025, the checkpoint was completely closed for the time being. (Updated March 2025)
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