'Anin, Jalama, Reihan, Shaked, Thu 16.4.09, Morning

Translation: Devorah K.

06:05 A'anin CP
It is raining and cold. Three farmers emerge from the terminal. They say that this morning only about ten people arrived. The few who came to the CP go through, two of them on their tractors. People are hesitant, do not know if it makes sense to go to their land in this weather. Even if they decide to come back once they get there, they will have to wait until 15:00, when the CP opens in the afternoon. Two pedestrians and a tractorist decide to go back. The soldier asks the tractorist, who went through about ten minutes ago, where he spent the morning. The tractorist answers that he spent it here, that he is the seventh on the list. The soldier checks and confirms this. He goes through. 06:30. The gates are locked. As noted, they will open again at 15:00 and remain open until 15:30. That is how it is twice a week, only on Mondays and Thursdays. On the other days of the week, the farmers cannot go to their land.

06:45 Shaked-Tura CP
We get to the CP together with the soldiers. The soldiers organize things. They open at 07:00. Three diligent pupils are waiting near the gate on the side of the seamline zone. The soldiers do not see them until we call them to their attention, and the pupils are called to the inspection pavilion. The little children cannot open the heavy iron door. A soldier opens it for them. There is a steady stream of cars and pedestrians in both directions at this time. All the pedestrians, in both directions, are examined in the pavilion. This includes a woman student who is on her way to her studies with a baby in her arms and two five year old little girls dressed like dolls with their schoolbags on their backs.

07:50 Reihan-Barta'a CP

There are very few pedestrians at this time of day. The workers and the seamstresses who get up early have already gone through and the tradesmen of Barta'a have not arrived yet. Seven cars are waiting at the vehicle CP to go through to the seamline zone. Six loaded pickup trucks are waiting in the parking lot.

09:00 Jalameh CP
The closure is still on. The parking lot, which lately has been full of cars belonging to Arab citizens of Israel, is empty and locked. The mother of Aya (the toddler who has a kidney disease), is walking out of the CP in the rain with Ayah in her arms. They go through even though there is a closure, as a 'humanitarian case'. We drive them to the Rambam hospital for the regular dialysis.