Translation: Bracha B.A.

06:50 Reihan Barta'a Checkpoint
While we waited for the crossing to begin, we listened to the story of a young man who was going to the West Bank to visit his wife and children.  Since he went to visit his family in Yaabed he has been prevented from returning to his wife’s home in Dar al Malach. The office for Individual Rights told him to come back to see them again in two months.

The crossing begins at two minutes before 07:00 and after 4 minutes we see the first people coming out.  As we approached the northern entrance to the terminal we heard women shouting loudly.  The two women working at the windows are talking about events involving the security guard who observes them from above that occurred the previous evening..  During their conversation we also hear, "You're not permitted to cross.  Your permit expired on the 27^th [of August]".

B., with his perpetual smile, emerges on his way to work in the carpet factory and reports that there is a problem with the X-Ray machine.  A group of young women and an elderly man in a white robe  emerge after we had waited 40 minutes to see him come out.  They demonstrate with a mixture of anger and humor what motions they had to go through to be checked and frisked instead of being checked by the machine.  Some say that things are disorderly and others report that things are OK today.

At 07:55 the two women at the windows are replaced by a third who curses the other and tells her she should choke on her breakfast – over the loudspeaker, of course.

At 08:07 the vehicle inspection point opens and 5 vehicles emerge.  It took 9 minutes for a minibus with passengers to be checked.

Two elderly handicapped persons are waiting in the Palestinian parking lot for a car to take them to the Seamline Zone. They are exempt from being checked in the terminal but after the car picks them up they will have to walk to the inspection point.

There is a terrible smell of garbage near the inspection point on the way to the West Bank.

09:00 – Shaked-Tura Checkpoint
A man from Dar al Malach reports that on June 19^th, 2006, his home was destroyed, his well was filled in, and much of his orchard was confiscated.  He and his children will never forget that day.  (See photo).  He reports an incident that occurred with a soldier when he went to pick tobacco that grows among the trees in the orchard.  He asked what he was doing there and told him, "If you don't like it, complain to the police.” The man who has already suffered a great deal, reports that his wife has a cardiac problem and has no medical insurance and therefore cannot receive medical care.

The checkpoint is quiet.  Only one car goes through.  A woman soldier greets us and we leave.