Jalama + CP 250Tuesday morning, 5 October 2004 Observers: Shifra G. , Ana N. , Netta G. (reporting)Guests: Eight from the “Bat Shalom” sukka 06:30 – Jalama checkpoint. The closure [restricted passage between the Territories and Israel] is still in effect, according to the soldiers it will be lifted on Sunday Oct. 10th.The fenced premises are closed and vacant.A small group of workers who are employed at the “seam line” [border with Israel], are waiting by the road on the Palestinian side. They are being inspected right there on the road and are allowed to go through in a relatively short time, for their vital job. A car arrives, the passengers are women from the village of Moukeibla (an Arab village in Israel) who work in a sewing workshop in Jalama – the soldiers let the car drive through without an inspection. The driver explains to us that the sewing workshop is essential for the Israeli economy.The CP commander tell us that they allow passage of “humanitarian” cases, mostly of a medical nature, and a very limited passage of merchandise. For instance, yesterday they allowed bottled oxygen and rice into the Palestinian side.We tour the fenced facility with our guests, trying to explain to them how this place operates on “normal” days. 07:30 – Checkpoint 250 The CP is closed. No vehicles. Soldiers are stationed at the observation tower.A Palestinian car appears bearing a UN sign. The passengers are residents of Jalama who are employed by the UN in Jenin, and their one direction passage was pre-coordinated. They say that in the afternoon they will have to return home via a detour which will make the trip longer: an hour and 15 minutes, instead of taking the usual road which takes 5 minutes.A few minutes later the soldiers came down from the tower to open the gates. The UN workers said that without our presence they would have had to wait for an hour. 08:00 – We left.