Northern Check points: Where are we?
Our shift takes place at 3 checkpoints in the northern seamline zone: The first is A’anin Agricultural Checkpoint where residents of that palestinian village cross to their fields that are located on the other side of the separation fence. The second is a “fabric of life” checkpoint where residents of the nearby village of Tura and other people in the area of Jenin cross to and from areas within the Palestinian Authority to the seamline zone for various purposes. It is located here mainly to ensure the security of three settlements. The third is a main checkpoint called Reihan – Barta’a where pedestrians, vehicles, and merchandise cross to and from the seamline zone to the Palestinian Authority.
A’anin Agricultural Checkpoint
This checkpoint enables residents of A’anin who have agricultural permits to cross to their fields on the other side of the separation fence. The number of people crossing here has decreased because their permits have not been renewed. Other people who have permits to work in Israel also cross here. The checkpoint is open twice each week and every day during the olive harvest.
We arrived when the checkpoint was about to open. The weather was cold and rainy and about ten people and a tractor loaded with plastic scraps were already waiting to cross. Until several years ago people were not allowed to bring plastic scraps across this checkpoint, which people sell to a plastic recycling factory. At first the soldiers wanted everyone to cross one at a time, but eventually everyone crossed together.
Tura – Shaked “Fabric of Life Checkpoint”
This is a small sleepy checkpoint but is filled with modern equipment and facilities for controlling the flow of pedestrians and traffic that are totally incongruous to the small amount of traffic that moves through here. A small number of workers cross here from the West Bank who work in the industrial zone nearby that belongs to the settlements. The number of people crossing here is also decreasing like those who have permits to cross at A’anin. School pupils and teachers also cross here. Unfortunately one of the features of this checkpoint is the overflowing garbage container that is filled with plastic trays and plastic bags and other garbage from the soldiers’ meals. The garbage container is never emptied and Litter is scattered along the road throughout the area that no one cleans up – characteristic of the apathy of the occupation.
We drove to the nearby settlements to the industrial zone, among the other pactories there is a carpet factory that moved here from Caesarea industrial zone , probably to receive a reduction in taxes. We know B., one of the workers there who has worked in a managerial job for many years. He informed us that the factory was built on land that belonged to his family. If the fence were not located there he would be able to walk a short distance from his home to get to work, but because of the fence he has to travel a long way around and pay expensive taxi fare.
Barta’a – Reihan Checkpoint
We thought the constant rain and cold would mean that fewer workers who work in construction in the city of Harish would be crossing today, but the number of people returning home was no less than usual. Two weeks ago we spoke with the vice-manager of the checkpoint about people’s request to build an awning at both entrances of the checkpoint to shelter people from the rain. He promised to take care of it and we hope he will.
'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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Tura-Shaked
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Tura-Shaked
This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.
- fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)
Mar-21-2022Anin Checkpoint: A magnificent breach in the center of the checkpoint
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