Reihan, Shaked, Sun 10.5.09, Morning

Translation: Bracha B.A.

 8.20 – 6.00 

Reihan Checkpoint 06:00
About 30 people are waiting for their rides in the upper parking lot.We go down the sleeve to the terminal and listen to complaints.  One of the people going in tells us that his 70-year-old mother was hassled yesterday at the checkpoint for a half hour – She was taken from one room to another.  A resident of Ya’abed whose daughter and her family live in Dahar el Malak tells us that his wife and their children cannot visit his daughter and sister in her home.  In order to visit they have to submit a request to the Liaison and Coordination Administration and after about a month they receive a permit for only one visit.
The people coming through the checkpoint complain again and again about problems with the biometric checks – because of its malfunctioning they are sent to the Liaison and Coordination Administration.  The matter is taken care of there, but they return to the terminal at Reihan, and the computer again registers a malfunction. 
We appealed to Or, a member of the checkpoint staff, who claimed that they can only take care of the matter at the Liaison and Coordination Administration.  They cannot exercise judgment when the computer screen shows a check malfunction.  Lieutenant Colonel Aadel from the Liaison and Coordination Administration is aware of the problem, and according to him the percentage of those who suffer from the problem is very low, but he promises to deal with the problem.
 6:20 The terminal is empty and only a few people are going through the checkpoint.  We were told that most of them already came through from 5:00 – 6:00.
At the upper part of the checkpoint area the new building for checking vehicles is now in use.  Tenders with merchandise and passenger vehicles are now checked there.  6 passenger card and 7 tenders with merchandise enter the building simultaneously. 
14 tenders with merchandise are waiting in the parking lot.

 Shaked Checkpoint 07:00
The checkpoint is open.  On the seamline zone side there are 3 men waiting who immediately enter the inspection room.  20 people come in from the side of the West Bank and line up next to the turnstile.  8 cars arrive from the West Bank, and their drivers go into the inspection room and then go out to take their cars through.  The vehicles are checked quickly in 1-2 minutes.  The soldiers tried not to detain a teacher who came through with his car to the seamline zone for too long.  All the students came through on their way to school without entering the inspection room and without being detained.  3 cars that arrive from the seamline zone drop off their passengers (most are students, school children, and teachers) who go through immediately without entering the inspection room. 
The cars do not wait more than five minutes to enter and be checked.07:25 – There are no workers in the checkpoint.

Reihan Checkpoint 07:40A
slow and consistent flow of people is going through the checkpoint to the seamline zone.  Workers who came through the terminal are waiting in the upper part of the checkpoint for cars to take them to work. 
The cars themselves are waiting in the area of the checkpoint near the lower yellow gate at least 30 minutes until they are allowed to enter (at 8:10) to be checked in the hew building.8 cars are waiting at the vehicle checkpoint on the side of the seamline zone. 
One taxi is already being checked for more than 20 minutes – there is apparently a problem with one or two of the passengers and they are sent for a “hike” in the checkpoint area from one booth to another.  After a talk with someone from the staff they return and the taxi leaves on its way with all the passengers.  The bus is checked quickly and departs within five minutes for Jenin.    .