Reihan, Sat 8.12.07, Morning
07:00 – 08:20
07:00 Reihan
Six transits are waiting for passengers. We hear the loud barking of dogs from the direction of their cages. The place looks clean and well cared for (I'll do without the associations that come to mind.)
Something new to us: A white tent in the compound for inspecting vehicles, and some grass planted near the bus stop.
The army has been moved aside: the soldier's post has been moved west from the center of the road, and it is almost unnoticeable. One car is being inspected. One is waiting on the road. We did not see dogs (they haven't finished their breakfast yet?)
On the lower parking lot: there are loads of people standing near the yellow gate. When we arrived they had already begun to enter in sevens or even in larger groups. Six young women arrived from Jenin. People let them through and they entered immediately. Walid is collecting empty glasses, and while he is doing that he prepares coffee for us. There are only 15 trays of eggs on the ground.
By 07:30 nobody was left behind the yellow gate.
We went to meet those emerging from the terminal. There were some who left the terminal within ten minutes of having entered through the yellow gate. The young women from Jenin left half an hour after they arrived.
07:45 The bus passengers from Barta'a are in a hurry to enter the terminal.
07:55 The bus goes on its way.
08:00 we left.
It was drizzling. Two cars were waiting on the road for inspection. All the people who arrived went through immediately. When we left, we saw the garbage truck (towing a cart) of the military commander of Megiddo. The toilet – the one that is open, is not clean. Maybe they will get to clean it in the course of the day.
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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