Most Palestinian farmers have no permits to go into their farmlands
Barta’a Checkpoint 5:55 a.m.
People hurry out of the terminal towards the transport vehicles that will take them to their worksites inside the seam-line zone, in Barta’a, Harish etc. Vehicles arrive one by one at crossing installation, letting out people who hurry to take the four pedestrian tracks towards the four turnstiles and terminal. Crossing appears to faster than work inside the terminal, where entry is jammed full.
Aneen Agricultural Checkpoint 6:30 a.m.
The gate at the seam-line zone side of the checkpoint is wide open. Military Policemen arrive and crossing is swift. 2 tractors and 15 people cross. We are told that crossing permits are not being reissued, and that many farmers can no longer tend their lands because they do not meet the Civil Administration’s requirements for permit eligibility…
Aneen residents may cross daily to their do their business through the distant Barta’a Checkpoint, getting there by expensive taxi. Twice weekly, when the agricultural checkpoint closer to their village opens, they prefer to use it. They cross over with a farmer’s permit or work permit in the seam-line ozone. Whoever does not return this afternoon through here stand to lose their crossing permit next time, and the military computer will not show the same entry and exit checkpoint.
We gave M., our old acquaintance, a ride. He is “elderly” (55 and up), so no longer needs a crossing permit. He may just show his ID. But his son who came with him is detained by the soldiers although he holds a valid crossing permit, says the father. He tells us his son was caught without permit in the nearby town of Umm Al Fahm (inside Israel’s borders) not long ago, arrested and released after two months. “If he was left his permit, why don’t they let him through?” M. asks us.
Taibe-Roumana Agricultural Checkpoint 7 a.m.
As we arrive, the checkpoint is closed, and the MPs (coming from Aneen Checkpoint) are not yet there. But on the fence road, two armed women-soldiers are seen walking. They are nice, ask us who we are, don’t understand how we got here. Not even after we explained. Perhaps they don’t have any idea where they are? The soldiers (arriving at 7:15) were told by them that they were there to catch “illegal aliens.” Now Neta and I couldn’t understand – how were they going to catch them? From where did they come and where would they go? Do these girls’ families know where they walk around on their own, yes – armed, but still defenseless, along the fence road between two separation fences somewhere in the northwest West Bank?
We saw that one fellow was detained and only after everyone crossed, was he sent back home. The soldier locking the gate told Neta that the guy had no crossing permit.
Last to cross on his red tractor he, Abu Ali stopped by us (as always), greeted and shook hands, and asked “How are you?” and then proceeded on his way.
In the photos: the checkpoint, Abu Ali against the houses of Umm Al Fahm.
Yaabad-Dotan Checkpoint 8:15
The checkpoint is open, traffic flows.
We stopped for coffee at Amriha. Our friend’s daughter was married, so that a red sash dangling down from the second story and a line of lamps decorate her grocery store front.
'Anin checkpoint (214)
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'Anin checkpoint (214)
'Anin checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence east of the Israeli community Mei Ami and close to the village of Anin in the West Bank. It is opened twice a week, morning and afternoon, on days with shorter light time, for Anin farmers whose olive groves have been separated from the village by the fence it became difficult to cultivate their land. Transit permits are only issued to those who can produce ownership documents for their caged-in land, and sometimes only to the head of the family or his widow, eldest son, and children. Sometimes the inheritors lose their right to tend to the family’s land. The permits are eked out and are re-issued only with difficulty. 55-year-old persons may cross the checkpoint (into Israel) without special permits. During the olive harvest season (about one month around October) the checkpoint is open daily and more transit permits are issued. Names of persons eligible to cross are held in the soldiers’ computers. In July 2007, a sweeping instruction was issued, stating that whoever does not return to the village through this checkpoint in the afternoon will be stripped of his transit permit when he shows up there next time. Since 2019, the checkpoint has not been allways locked with the seam-line zone gate (1 of 3 gates), and the fence around it has been broken in several sites.
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Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint
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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).
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Tayba-Rummana
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Tayba-Rummana is an agricultural checkpoint. It is located in the separation fence in front of the eastern slopes of the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm. The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rummana. Dozens of dunams of olive groves were removed from their owners, the residents of these villages on the western side of the separation fence. The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rumna. Dozens of olives dunams were removed from these villages' residents and swallowed up in a narrow strip of space, on the western side of the separation fence. The checkpoint allows the plantation owners who have permits to pass. Twice a week, the checkpoint opens for fifteen minutes in the morning and evening. During the harvest season, it opens every day for fifteen minutes in the morning (around 0630) and fifteen minutes in the afternoon (around 1530). (February 2020).
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Ya'bed-Dotan
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Ya’bed-Dotan
This checkpoint is located on road 585, at the crossroads of Mevo Dotan settler-colony / Jenin/ Ya’abad. It has an army watchtower (‘pillbox’ post) and concrete blocs that slow down vehicular traffic. It was erected when Barta’a Checkpoint, lying to the west on the Separation Fence, was privatized and its operation was passed over to civilian security personnel. Since December 2009 this checkpoint enables flow of Palestinian vehicular traffic towards the Barta’a Checkpoint. Seldom is it manned by soldiers sitting in the watchtower, who conduct random inspections of vehicles and passengers. (february 2020)
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