Tarqumiya, Thu 7.8.08, Morning
We arrived at the checkpoint before 5:45 A.M. Many workers were sitting around the parking lot on the Israeli side of the checkpoint.
As a first step, we checked how long it took for a worker to pass through the checkpoint, and were pleased to see all four inspection posts operating. As a result, the transition took only10-15 minutes. But why (according to some workers) are there days when only two posts are operational?
Despite this, the "traffic jam" hasn't disappeared. It has moved to the vehicle examinations. This is accomplished in a separate section and we went to see what was happening there.
Each time, some 21 vehicles were examined by a team of 3-4 inspectors and a trained dog. (Hava notes that this is an improvement. Previously only 13 vehicles were inspected at a time). When we watched, the entire process took about twenty minutes. The drivers of the vehicles who were waiting complained that it went so quickly only because we were there observing. They said it usually takes much longer and they feel that sometimes they are delayed for no reason and there are “strange” security demands.
Let’s hope that the quick efficient inspections we witnessed continue.
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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