Others
Bkaot is on road 57 which connects Jenin, Tubas, and Nablus with the Jordan Valley.
This is the only way for Palestinians from this area to reach Jericho or to go to Jordan border passages. The checkpoint is positioned just at the Bkaot crossroad. The pedestrian passage is infrequent, though people who live in villages around are allowed to pass without permits.
The main problem is vehicle movement which is very slow. The checkpoint is open from 4 a.m. till 9-10 p.m. Locals reported that in the early morning, the waiting time Eastbound can be up to 4 hrs. On afternoons it is westbound which is long and difficult. The checkpoint has two checking points, East and West. Upon our arrival we were met by the commander, who said we are not allowed, as Israelis, to pass West. This restriction is genuine. Indeed, a Palestinian woman with an Israeli ID was also not allowed to cross the checkpoint (to attend a wedding).
We contacted the local DCO and complained about a very long waiting time Eastbound – over an hour in the heat of the day. They were cooperative, but we didn’t wait for the promised aid. There are no special arrangements for humanitarian cases. We were told that a very ill child on his way to Jericho hospital had to wait for hours in a line, the soldiers wouldn’t allow a transit with this child to bypass the queue. Car checks were very slow. One soldier was pointing his gun towards a car from a distance and another one was checking it.
Jordan Valley
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Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley is the eastern strip of the West Bank. Its area consists of almost a third of the West Bank area. About 10,000 settlers live there, about 65,000 Palestinian residents in the villages and towns. In addition, about 15,000 are scattered in small shepherd communities. These communities are living in severe distress because of two types of harassment: the military declaring some of their living areas, as fire zones, evicting them for long hours from their residence to the scorching heat of the summer and the bitter cold of the winter. The other type is abuse by rioters who cling to the grazing areas of the shepherd communities, and the declared fire areas (without being deported). The many groundwaters in the Jordan Valley belong to Mekorot and are not available to Palestinians living in the Jordan Valley. The Palestinians bring water to their needs in high-cost followers.
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