Residents of the village of A’anin are once again forbidden to bring discarded items across the checkpoint
Barta’a Checkpoint, 06:00 – This is the largest checkpoint in the north and has been renovated several times at tremendous cost to meet the needs of Palestinians who cross here. The people who designed this checkpoint did not predict the increasing needs of the large number of people crossing to East Barta’a, the seamline zone and to Israel. They also could not foresee the scuffles that break out in the mornings when large numbers of workers who are in a hurry to get to work but are held up by the slow checkpoint system. Another thing the planners did not foresee is the construction of the city of Harish south of the Iron Junction, which draws thousands of construction workers from all over the West Bank – many of whom want to cross through the nearest checkpoint of Barta’a to get to work at the nearest Harish. Instead of finding a solution to the heavier traffic it was decided to decrease the number of workers permitted to cross here to avoid crowding. The main thing was to ensure that the checkpoint is quiet and that Palestinians have to make a huge detour detour and travel further in order to cross at other checkpoints.
From Barta’a Checkpoint we hurried on to A’anin agricultural checkpoint and from there to the Tibeh Romena beneath Um Al Fahem which is also an agricultural checkpoint. These checkpoints are open on Mondays and Wednesdays to enable farmers to cross to their fields from which they are separated by the separation barrier.
Fewer people than usual crossed at both agricultural checkpoints because many permits were not renewed. Everyone is anxious about the approaching olive harvest. Each year people wait anxiously to see whether their permits will be renewed.
Today the few who came crossed and things remained quiet.
Despite the lovely sunrise, the warm greetings from out Palestinian friends, and even the friendly wave we received from a policewoman, our shifts observing the checkpoints are always always sad and frustrating .
'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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