'Anabta, 'Azzun, Eyal, Jubara (Kafriat), Qalqiliya, Wed 6.5.09, Afternoon
15:20 Qalqiliya
Just a few cars are driving through
without being checked. In the parking lot there are many cars waiting
but no passengers.
15:40 Azzun
The entrance is open. On both
sides along the road the concertina barbed wire is shining in the sun…
16:00 Anabta
The checkpoint is being constructed.
There are lines in both directions, but the traffic is flowing.
16:40 Jubara
We ask the soldiers to open the
gate for us. They know us and answer that they will open in a moment.
But in the meantime a soldier (apparently Russian) bends forward and
quite amazed he asks me “Are you Jewish?” (That is, if you are
Jewish, how come…?) I smile at him. How can I explain? The gate is
opened to let us through.
Gate 735
It is empty. One worker is walking
up to the tent where the checks are being performed. He shows his ID
card. On the opposite side of the checkpoint a car is waiting for the
worker to be let through. One at the time. They finish checking the
worker and call the car. They check the car and call the next worker,
who has arrived together with 3 more persons. Another car arrives and
the same procedure is repeated. Tammi walks up to the tent and finds
a sign of “Women in blue and White”. It says, “Thanks to Machsomwatch
for helping us in our struggle against terror”. Tammi explains to
the soldiers that they are not allowed to put up political slogans on
army facilities. She takes the sign away and nobody interferes.
17:10 The Checkpoint
at Eyal
The workers, who are returning
from work in Israel, enter the checkpoint immediately. We ask one worker
to phone us as soon as he gets through. It takes him five minutes. We
are told that there was a huge line of returning workers yesterday,
but today it is not crowded at all. In the parking lot cars of the employers
are waiting in order to be the first ones to drive the workers tomorrow
morning.