Shaked, Rihan, Saturday, 22.7.06 AMObservers: Sarit A, Rachel C (reporting)07:30 – 10:00Shaked 07:30 – 08:00The gate is open. Four soldiers under cover of the concrete. No accompanying vehicle.Traffic is very thin. All who come – pass.The process: baggage is put down by the gate. Ids are checked. Back to the baggage. Pass.Rihan 08:10The drivers of the white Transits are waiting for workers. Like every Saturday they complain about the late opening of the checkpoint (07:30 – relatively late even for Saturday), and the slow inspection. They also complain that passengers have to alight and go on foot down the sleeve. Debate at the vehicle checkpoint. The driver is asking for our help. His elderly mother cannot walk (without help) down the sleeve. We intervene. We use imagery recognizable to the military policeman, like mother, elderly grandmother. He argues that they are trying to fool him: “Yesterday we had the same thing. They said she couldn’t walk) till finally the woman ran down the sleeve.”End of debate: the driver was allowed to pass with his mother: “Only this time, and remember this is the last time…”Three Palestinians are sitting in the plaza. We ask them who they are waiting for? “The police.” Why? Seems they were caught with a vehicle without papers or keys. The vehicle is standing in the Palestinian parking lot. A commercial Renault Fiorino, with a cracked front windshield and with more than ten young goats inside. The three are released at 10:00 after paying a fine (full story below). Five or six cars wait to cross. The pace is reasonable. Raised shirt, first one trouser leg, then the other…The line of loaded tenders is getting longer. The soldier says: “I don’t have people. I’m short of manpower.” We comment that it is possible to check in parallel…And then they begin. All boxes taken off, lid removed from each box, very meticulous inspection. First tender, more than 45 minutes. For the others it goes faster – perhaps they are less loaded. The last tender, which arrived at 08:30, is put into inspection at 10:00.A tender arrives loaded with sheep, and they forgo the line because “this goes quickly.”08:30 – pedestrian gate: 20 people waiting. Why aren’t they passed through? “There’s pressure on the other side” (after all, they are sending all the passengers from cars through the terminal).They are standing behind the block (“New Jersey Plastic”), and being put through in twos, relatively quickly.09:00 – 09:25 break. 20 people gather together, the heat is oppressive, the crowd is angry. Waiting. A woman with a child is allowed to come to the head of the line. The soldier shouts and rebukes anyone who doesn’t stand behind the block. (The block prevents the pressure of the yellow gate on the waiting crowd).The shouting soldier explains to us that he understands, we sit in armchairs while he lives in the Territories. In a “sane” settlement – he’s not one of the mad hilltop crowd.10:00 – we leave, after a tour of the sleeves for entry and exit of the terminal. Nobody in the pedestrian line, the last tender is being checked, there are six private cars.,u>The stolen carThe story of the three detainees ended after the driver got a ticket from the police and paid 1000 shekels cash. The police answered our questions courteously. We learnt that the driver will be brought to court in Salem, where he will be fined up to 1000 shekels (at the judge’s discretion). If the decision will be for a low fine, he will receive back the difference. We also learned that, clearly, after the fine is paid, the person or people fined have to remove the vehicle from the parking lot, and not under its own power (?)”Let them order a tow truck.”And the goats?”Not our business.”And what is the significance of the sticker “Strong Israel” on the police car?”From the government! We received it from the station commander…”The end of the story: while the policemen are chatting with the soldiers, the three leave, with the vehicle, with the goats, without licenses, and less 1000 shekels from the driver’s pocket.