Jalama, Tuesday, November 2, 2004, A.M.Observers: Yocheved G., Chasida S. (reporting)07:30 – 10:00 Once again, we are unable to cross over to the southern side, to the shed or the gas station — and of course we’re banned from going to checkpoint 250. Upon our arrival, we meet six workers coming out of the inspection “sleeve.” Some of them are known to us from previous visits. The usual complaint is about the wasted time. We looked, from a distance, at the waiting shed (we used binoculars) and it seemed that the routine has changed somewhat. Part of the inspection process takes place inside the facility, from which we saw tall chimneys sticking out of the roof — which raised unpleasant associations for us. In the back-to-back site (for transfer of merchandise), we noticed a gas tanker and five or six buses. The buses were taking families of Palestinians who are serving time in various Israelis prisons, for visits to the prisoners. Again, we had to watch them from a distance. At this time, the buses were full and they were waiting for the OK to move on. We spoke with the drivers of the buses, Arab Israelis who were hired by the Red Cross. The time was 8:30, the gate was wide open. In the tiny room that bore the sign “Police” there was no one — just a helmet and a bullet-proof vest. The drivers said they had been waiting there since 6 A.M. We know that the facility is supposed to open at 8 A.M, and there was no one there.We walked into the facility to find out the reason for the delay and the checkpoint commander, Second Lieutenant A., approached us, along with another soldier. They claimed that the delay was the drivers’ fault: instead of waiting by the gate, they drove inside the facility (the gate was wide open) which delayed the soldier’s drill and briefing, because it was necessary to get the buses out and then complete the briefing. We were promised that in 10 minutes all would be finished, at which time the buses would be allowed to proceed on their journey. The buses entered the inspection facility at 9 A.M. We watched from a distance as the Palestinian buses entered. We saw the people, loaded with parcels, transfer into the Israeli buses. The drivers told us that, based on their own experience, they would not leave the facility before 11 A.M. Most of the passengers were going to Ketsiot prison (far to the south). This is the holy month of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. The inspection process in the prison is most strict and takes a long time. The duration of the visit is 45 minutes. The prediction therefore is that the families would not arrive back home before 11 P.M. The CP commander claims that the drivers are very well aware of the time of opening the facility and there is no reason for them to arrive earlier. The drivers, on the other hand, said that they came at the time they were told to arrive by the Red Cross. We called the Red Cross office in Tel Aviv, informing them of times and regulations at the CP. On our next shift we will follow up on that matter.