Reihan, Ya’bed-Dotan, Thu 7.2.13, Afternoon
Translation: Bracha B.A.
We drove Ali back from Rambam Hospital and consequently arrived too late to observe A'anin Checkpoint. We did not stop at Shaked-Tura Checkpoint.
15:50 – Reihan-Barta'a Checkpoint, Palestinian Side
Ali knows that we have to drive through the lane for Israeli cars since our car is Israeli. The woman sitting in the booth knows Ali and that all she has to do is type in his mother's ID number. The parking lot, as well as the additional lot are both completely full. Ali's family's car is waiting for Ali and his mother on the road – one of a line of cars waiting for people returning from work. We leave and continue on our way.
16:00 – Dotan-Yaabed Checkpoint
Two soldiers approach us and ask us if we are leftists.
We attempt to explain about Machsom Watch, and one of them asks us if this is how we defend the Jewish people.
There is a line of six cars going towards Jenin, being held up because of a crane truck which is being checked. The cars pass through within a few minutes. Our friends the seamstresses wave to us from their car. As we prepared to go back two military vehicles stop next to us. One of the soldiers asks us if we are OK, and the other tells us not to go now because people are throwing stones along the route. The first soldier tells us we can go. We continued on and didn't see anyone throwing stones.
16:20 – Reihan Barta'a Checkpoint, Seamline Zone Side
A cute girl is playing on the slide near the parking lot and greets us happily. We descend the sleeve together with workers returning from work. There is a line of about 20 people at the entrance to the terminal, which disappears quickly. People cross through quickly despite the fact that the turnstile at the entrance closes occasionally, and a line forms at the entrance. When we left the terminal at 17:10 there was no waiting line. Workers are descending the sleeve carrying bags of fruits and vegetables. They see that we are leaving and shout that things are going smoothly.
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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Ya'bed-Dotan
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Ya’bed-Dotan
This checkpoint is located on road 585, at the crossroads of Mevo Dotan settler-colony / Jenin/ Ya’abad. It has an army watchtower (‘pillbox’ post) and concrete blocs that slow down vehicular traffic. It was erected when Barta’a Checkpoint, lying to the west on the Separation Fence, was privatized and its operation was passed over to civilian security personnel. Since December 2009 this checkpoint enables flow of Palestinian vehicular traffic towards the Barta’a Checkpoint. Seldom is it manned by soldiers sitting in the watchtower, who conduct random inspections of vehicles and passengers. (february 2020)
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