Tarqumiya, Mon 19.11.07, Morning
We arrived at the checkpoint at 05:15.
The area around the checkpoint is in total darkness, it appears there is an electricity blackout (we are told it started 5 minutes before we arrived). There's a lot of movement through the terminal, and a lot of vans are waiting to pick up the workers. In spite of the blackout, workers continue to pass through. A border police jeep pulls over near the checking area and provides illumination for the soldiers with its headlights.
The soldiers stand before the jeep; there are at least 3 inspectors, 2 security guards and 4 border police
soldiers keeping the order. The passage is relatively quick (no line at all in the vehicle queue).
One of the border police soldiers assumed command and stood with his gun above the queue of workers waiting to pass through to make sure no one moves forward. It was a very unpleasant sight. On the other hand, an older border police soldier addressed the workers in Arabic and pointed them towards the checking area in a courteous manner.
Around 05:45 the power came back, and the soldiers returned to their regular posts. In average, according to our measurements, it took a worker approximately 15 minutes to pass through the checkpoint.
We left at 06:00.
Tarqumiya CP
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The Tarqumiya Checkpoint is one of the largest and busiest checkpoints where people and goods cross into Israel. It is located on the Separation Barrier close to the Green Line, on Road 35 (connecting Beer Sheva and Hebron). It is run by the Israel Defense Ministry’s Crossings Administration with civilian secuirty companies running the day to day operations. The checkpoint is indeed open to vehicles in both directions 24/7, but Palestinians are prevented from crossing in vehicles, except in special cases. MachsomWatch activists visit the checkpoint as it opens at 3:45 am, in order to observe the daily passage of nearly 10,000 Palestinian workers. The workers arrive from throughout the Southern West Bank. Our activists report on the tremendous overcrowding at this checkpoint; they have observed young men climbing and scrambling on the fences and roofs of the ‘access cages’. This is how the work day begins for those who ‘build the land of Israel’. updated November 2019
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