Rihan, Sunday, December 5, 2004, AMObservers: Yocheved G., Ana N-S., Chasida S. (reporting)09:00 – 11:15Abstract: Ban on olive picking lifted. Problems of family unification.When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the checkpoint commander, the District Coordination Office (DCO) representative and the soldiers. The CP was busy and noisy with soldiers and policemen, because of a visit of custom clerks. It is unclear as to what they were doing there, because there is no passage, in Rihan, for transfer of merchandise in commercial quantities.We were pleased to hear from the DCO representative that the ban of olive picking was lifted, and this morning workers were permitted to cross over to their orchards. We hope that land owners on the northern side (Israel) are aware of this new, blessed development.The ban on transfer of olive oil from the West Bank into Israel is still in effect. Residents of the seam line who brought their olives to the oil press in the West Bank (because the oil press in Barta’a was destroyed a few months ago by the Israeli military) are requested to return the oil to their homes through the Jalama checkpoint, which is located far away. In Jalama there is a back-to-back lot. This procedure is impossible for them and they try to bring in the oil in various ways.Today it is permitted to transfer only one container and only in a car. A Palestinian who dragged a heavy jerrycan of oil (17 liters) by hand and tried to pass through the pedestrian passage, wasn’t permitted to do so. The soldiers have discovered the trick of the Palestinians: to divide the oil containers among other pedestrians in line to cross, asking them to transfer the oil for them, one by one.According to the soldiers, this oil might find its way to Israel and compete with Israeli suppliers. Moreover, this product doesn’t go through quality control and one female soldier even volunteered to tell us that this oil is “not kosher.” If one side is trying to be “smart,” the other side tries to be even “smarter” — and so, this man was standing there with one jerrycan while the entire lot was empty of vehicles or people and he wasn’t allowed through. I came closer to the vehicle inspection post to talk with the DCO person. The man with the jerrycan followed me, and the DCO person “found a solution”: He loaded the man and his jerrycan onto a pickup truck that happened to drive by on its way to Barta’a. The regulations were respected and the problem was solved. The man, of course, was upset by the unnecessary trouble.Another Palestinian tried to go through the CP holding a permit for working in construction. His employer (from Hareesh) said that all his employees go through Rihan. But in order to pass in Rihan, for work, one needs to obtain a special permit. Only the employer is entitled to such a permit, and he gives it out to his workers. The Palestinian was told to go to Hareesh (a 10-minute drive from the checkpoint), through Jalama. If he is allowed to drive inside Israel, the trip will take him about two hours. But if he does not have a permit to stay in Israel, he might be arrested on his way from Jalama to Hareesh. The man retreated from the gate and came back in a few minutes: He found in his pocket a permit for agricultural work, which grants him permission to cross through Rihan. So by “changing costumes,” all was settled.Another serious problem: A Palestinian woman is a resident of Shfaram, in Israel, since she married a resident of Shfaram six years ago. This allows her to hold a temporary resident card. She went yesterday into the West Bank for the funeral of her mother. Now she is not allowed back into Israel because the date of her temporary card has expired. The only place where she can extend her card is the Ministry of Interior in Israel. The soldier asks: “So why did you wait until now? Why didn’t she take care of that matter earlier?” The truth of the matter is that her temporary permit can no longer be extended because in the meantime, the process of family unification was halted. In the end, her details were given to the Shabak (Israeli General Security Services) and she was allowed to go home.A similar problem was presented to two Israeli men whose wives are Palestinians from the West Bank. One has a temporary resident card which expired and she cannot go to visit her family in the West Bank. The other woman lives with her children in the West Bank and the husband visits her periodically. But today there is a ban on blue (Israeli) ID cards entering the West Bank, so he can not see his family. It is terrible how the occupation prevents people from living normal lives.