Jubara, Ar-Ras, Anabta, Jit, Azun, Monday AM, 22 May 2006 Watchers: Naomi L, Inbal R (reporting)07:00 Irtah The road is deserted, no workers leaving for Israel.07:20 Jubara, Agricultural Workers’ Gate During the coming month, the gate will remain open throughout the day because of the closing of the main passage to Jubara from Tulkarm Entry is solely for residents of the place and farmers with permits issued by the Tulkarm DCO [District Coordination Office of the IDF Civil Administration, that oversees passage permits]. Holders of permits for this gate that were issued in DCO Qalqiliya are redirected to Salit. The checkpoint commander contends that there is passage from Salit to Jubara through Gate 839. To the best of my knowledge. there is no possibility of crossing there. Milling outside the gate are residents of Faroun carrying various permits. Some of them have permits for Faroun Gate which has already been closed for two months. Other Faroun residents have permits for the Agricultural Workers’ Gate (on the permit form is written “approved entry at Jubara agricultural gate), and they show documents in Arabic which they say are Land Registry deeds for agricultural lands in Jubara (we don’t read Arabic, but the permits have a Hebrew stamp from the Administration in Kaddum. Nevertheless, they are not being allowed to pass. A little later we meet a DCO representative and ask him why Faroun residents are being denied passage at the gate. The representative (who refuses to identify himself) phones to clarify. The DCO answer is as follows: Faroun Gate is a seasonal gate and it is indeed closed now. Usually, whoever has a permit for Faroun is the owner of an olive grove with a need to enter his land during the picking season. There is no possibility of exchanging a permit issued for Faroun with one for another gate. We find the answer incredible for a number of reasons: a. among those refused passage are people who have permits specifically for Jubara and not Faroun; b. the ones who approached us claimed that they are growing crops in hothouses, and this raises in our minds doubt whether the army sent to Jubara a land surveyor to check whether on the land registered to A or B there are olives or tomatoes; c. if a man has a title deed for land in an area which is exclusively Palestinian, and even if he does grow olives and it is not harvest season, the army has no moral right to prevent his access to his land during most of the days of the year. Again the suspicion arises that, in this area, with the use of various excuses, the army is applying a deliberate policy of separating farmers from their lands.07:40 Ar-Ras Light traffic. There is free access to Tulkarm, after a check. Exit from Tulkarm is prohibited for men between ages 15-30 who are residents of Jenin and Tulkarm.08:00 Jubara lower checkpoint – on Route 57. No traffic from the direction of Tulkarm due to infrastructure works. Illegals [i.e. without residence permits] are being detained for not unreasonable periods of time. The checkpoint commander reiterates that according to orders, detention may not be uses as punishment.08:15 AnabtaFree access to Tulkarm. Entry for Israelis only permitted on foot. Exit from the town is prohibited for men between 16-30 who are residents of Tulkarm and Jenin Districts. As opposed to last week, students with a student card, who are trying to get to end of year exams, are not allowed to exit.A number of Israeli number plates are stashed under the soldiers’ feet. The commander explains that the plates are removed from Israeli vehicles that come to unload in Tulkarm (with permission from the Israeli Vehicle Registration Office). The confiscation is in order to prevent the plates being used again.Goods go in to Tulkarm without restriction. Goods coming out are at the discretion of the checkpoint commander. We ask to what exit he directs trucks that are turned back. His answer: I don’t know. If the truck is overloaded, and I have no possibility of inspecting, I don’t pass it through.09:50 Jit Two checkpoints in the area: on Route 60, north of Jit, and on Route 57 in the direction of Huwwarra. There is no line at either.10:10 Azun Two checkpoints in the area: at the entrance to the community a Humvee stands on the side of the road, but there is no interference with traffic. On Route 55, the Military Police are carrying out document checks of passengers in certain vehicles, at the discretion of the policemen.