Irtah, Jubara, Anabta – Sunday AM, 14 May 2006 Watchers: Orna ,P. Ron P., Sara B Summary: The extended closure makes people desperate, they are pleading at the passage points in order to be allowed through, so they could work. There is a severe hardship and poverty in the homes. Adults and young people haven’t worked for three months as a result of the closure. 7:05 IrtahThe closure continues. The shift that mans the checkpoint is just arriving to work, the checkpoint’s opening is at 8:00. Only merchants and people with special humanitarian permits can go through, in other words, almost no one. 7:20 JubaraThe checkpoint is closed; the soldiers say “closed due to reconstructions”, that requires our check. 7:30 Agricultural Gate no.753Workers and land owners (10 people) are asking to go to Jubara to find a job. Workers tell us about the shortage as a result of the extended closure and they beg the soldiers to let them go through in order to try and find a job. They tell us that they have no food to feed their families. Some of those present have permits that are valid for Gate no.703. A special problem: Gate no.703It’s located in Faroun and it’s closed. Those who have permits for Gate no. 703 try to go through Gate no.753, but they are not permitted to do so, and they are sent back to their gate. The residents tell us that they spent several days in the Civil Administration in order to get permits for another gate but they were told that their permits are valid until 9/07 so they can’t get another other permits, but meanwhile the gate continues to be closed. The situation sounds hallucinatory even in these Kafkaesque circumstances.We call the Liaison & Coordination Administration of the Ephraim Brigade and Tulkarm. Their answer- Gate no.703 is designated only for temporary agricultural work, and it’s closed when the seasonal work ends, “they have nothing to do there when the season ends” and “the permits have been given to them in order to make it easier on them so they won’t have to ask for new permits next season”. We couldn’t get anyone through.8:00 JubaraA worker was late for Gate no.753 (closes at 7:30) and she was trying to get in Jubara through the checkpoint so she won’t have to lose a working day, but as she has a permit for Gate 753, they are not letting her through.9:00 Anabta 10 cars are waiting in line that is moving slowly, only a few pedestrians. According to the soldiers the limitations are: only the villages’ residents Shufa, Beit Lid and Sifrin can go through by foot or by car, including taxis only from those villages. Males aged 16-30 are not allowed to go through, students neither. Only humanitarian cases can go through.