Northern Checkpoints: What is good for the occupation is bad for the Palestinians
Happy Purim at the Checkpoints
06:00 – 07:20
Palestinians from the West Bank cross through the northern checkpoints. Most cross to the seamline zone and a few cross to work in Israel. The closure for the Purim holiday did not include the seamline zone, (the area between the green line border and the separation barrier) so we saw little difference in the number of people crossing compared to other days. We had received reports about problems between people crossing and religious soldiers at Yaabed Checkpoint, so we drove there first. We didn’t see any soldiers there at all and the checkpoint was open, so we drove back to A’anin checkpoint. On the way we passed Barta’a Checkpoint. Workers were coming out to go to work in Barta’a and the surrounding area.
The DCO and checkpoint authorities are proud of the fact that they “retained order” and located a lot of people who were crossing here to Israel without working permits. The result is that the checkpoint is quieter and the occupation is doing well, and things are consequently worse for the Palestinians. The decrease in the number of Palestinians allowed to cross here has harmed people’s livelihoods. People now have to travel farther to work and spend more money on transportation.
06:30 – A`anin Agricultural Checkpoint
This checkpoint opens twice each week on Mondays and Wednesdays/ From here people from A`anin who have work permits cross to their land in the seamline zone. When we arrived the checkpoint was empty and quiet. There was only an army car and the soldiers in it were in no hurry to open the checkpoint. When I passed through the first gate an armed soldier jumped out of the car waving his arms and shouting very rudely “get out”. When I asked him what language he was speaking, he continued to shout “get out, you are not allowed to pass the gate.” and repeated it until he calmed down.” Then he returned to the car.
The soldiers (military policemen) continued to sit in their car for about 15 minutes more then got out to open the checkpoint gates. This is the IDF as of March 20th 2019.
07:00 – Tibeh Romeney Checkpoint
Four women and two men were not permitted to cross the checkpoint. One of the people crossing reported that he did not know them and guessed that they did not have the appropriate permits. The rest who had permits crossed from one of the two villages that are separated from part of their land.
'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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