Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Jubara (Kafriat), Sun 17.3.13, Morning
The gates open at 04:05, five minutes late.
The women’s gate opens at the same time. All the women who had crowded around go through in 4 minutes and the gate is locked. Whoever arrives a minute later (at 04:10) must join the regular line. Women claim that Friday (15.3.13) the women’s gate didn’t open at all!
Among those crossing to Israel, a man we’d chosen to time at 04:15 came out of the facility at 04:25. In other words – the crossing goes quickly. A man who’d been given a slip of paper by the Ecumenicals when he was still in line came through in 15 minutes. All six booths are operating. A man tells us about an elderly man who was delayed inside; a second person tells us that the elderly man was sent back. It isn’t clear why.
The flow of people coming through diminishes. The Ecumenicals report by phone that the entry gates have been closed. They remained closed for 15 minutes. Why? The congestion at the entrance increases; people become angrier! The Ecumenicals report that there’s confusion and fighting at the gate. Two weeks ago, 1118 people entered the facility during the first half hour; today, only 750 went in.
People tell us it’s difficult to obtain prescription drugs as part of their health insurance (drugs are available privately but they’re too expensive for the laborers). We tried to find out what health insurance they had. It isn’t clear to us. Everyone with an Israeli work permit pays NIS 95 per month for insurance. The people we spoke to didn’t know whether they were covered by Nat==nal Insurance (Bituach Leumi) or by the health insurance law. Annalin tried for a week to find out what insurance they had, and what it entitled them to (that’s why this report has been delayed). We haven’t yet been able to understand what’s going on. If anyone knows – please tell us.
05:15 Jubara crossing. We were asked to find out about the relocation of the fence’s route. The new route hasn’t yet been completed; we see double fences – both new ones and old ones in a confusing tangle. At this hour all the gates in the fence are open. Cars go through the vehicle crossing without stopping.
05:35 We left.
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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Jubara (Kafriat)
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The Jabra checkpoint was on Road 557, south of Tulkarm, on the side of the Figs Pass, which is located within the Palestinian Authority (a few kilometers east of the Green Line), and serves as an entry barrier from the territories to Israel. The checkpoint to the village of Jubara, which until 2013 was in the seam area, blocked and surrounded by a fence, was intended for the passage of the family members of the house next to the checkpoint, and also for the MachsomWatch volunteers (with special permission only), on their way to checkpoint 753. on the other side of the village. The soldiers supervising the "fig crossing" also supervised the crossing at this checkpoint, in our shifts we often waited a long time until the key was found and the gate opened. The checkpoint was abolished and became part of the separation fence that was moved west following the High Court.
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