05:50 – Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint, Seamline zone side

There is already a long line of cars on Road 611, before the turn to the checkpoint. The road that leads down to the checkpoint is crowded with various cars, buses, and especially people waiting for transportation to work in the Seamline Zone. Pierre, our driver, engineers his way among them. In the shed, that is in the area of the parking lot on the Seamline Zone side, the buffet is open. A few drink coffee and others pray. We go down the sleeve(the enclosed, covered path to and from the terminal), which is opposite the stream of people going up on their way to work. People aren’t complaining. A few greet us “Good morning.”  One of the people tells us it was a good morning, people passed through quickly, and that it should be like this every morning. As yet he believes in our power. Among those passing through is a group of women. The buffet in the sleeve is still open and there are customers. It seems to us that today a huge number of people pass through, more than we have seen in previous mornings. We stand at the opening of the terminal and people leave to the rhythm of the sound of the carousel turning. A man stands beyond the carousel that leads to the West Bank. He probably passes through every morning but today he is suddenly not permitted to.  We were not able to clarify more than that because on the advice of his friend, he left the area. Some young people arrive who tell us that they don’t have a permit and then left. 

06:00 – Fewer people pass through at this hour. We remain to observe because Anin Checkpoint is closed until the opening of the olive harvest and Tura Checkpoint only opens at 07:00 at best. 

07:00 – Shaked Checkpoint

As yet no one is waiting on the Seamline Zone side. As best we can see, there are a few waiting along with some cars, on the West Bank side. The automobile gate in the direction of the Seamline Zone is closed and locked. For many years we have not seen this situation. Border Patrol police arrive to open the gate as well as the gate for pedestrians. After a little more than ten minutes, the first people pass to the Seamline Zone, and the first car crosses to the West Bank. Those few who are allowed to cross here continue to do so slowly. There are also those who cannot take advantage of this entitlement and are then forced to cross at Barta’a Checkpoint, because their work obligates them to arrive earlier than the 07:00 opening here. A few young girls in striped dresses and black hijabs,

are the first to be on their way to high school in Tura. We did not see young boys among them. A pleasant policeman, in an army vehicle, stops next to us and asks how we are. He is worried that we shouldn’t stand on the road lest we be run over. 

A large and beautiful rainbow appears in the sky over the checkpoint. Irit and I try to capture it on our cell phones, but the rainbow faded and disappeared in the clouds.