'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Thu 4.6.09, Morning

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Observers: 
Tami S., Neta G. (Reporting)
Jun-4-2009
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Morning

 

Translation: Bracha

The village of A’anin is obscured by the heavy fog in the area. 
The soldiers are busy opening the three gatesinfo-icon at the checkpoint.  About 30 people including a few women with a lot of children are waiting next to the middle gate.  Summer vacation has begun and children accompany their parents who are going out to the olive groves.  One of the people complains again about the herd of cows from Ein Sahala that is grazing in the olive groves and destroying them.  He says that the herd does not come on Mondays and Thursdays when [the checkpoint is open and] farmers can get to the groves to guard them.

06:35 – The fog disappears and the gates are locked again.  F., the vice president of the A’anin Council arrives at his olive grove with two of his children and a tractor loaded with cans of water.  He has planted new trees and needs to water them.  We accept his invitation to have coffee on his land.  F. says that after the demonstration on May 16th about 70 additional agricultural permits were received but most were given to women who cannot cross the checkpoint and work alone anyway. 

07:20 – Shaked-Tura

There is constant traffic of cars in two directions.  About 20 people are crowded next to the turnstile at the entrance to the inspection booth on the West Bank side before they pass through to the seamline zone.  We are told that the school year has ended but that matriculation examinations are still taking place.  The hours that the checkpoint is open are posted on the gate on the side of the seamline zone: 07:00 – 10:00, 12:00 – 19:30.  There is also an announcement in Arabic saying that drivers must stop in front of the white line that has recently been painted on the road and wait for the soldier to call them, and that pedestrians must enter the inspection booth one at a time.

Reihan-Barta’a

08:05   Vehicles are waiting in the upper parking lot to transport workers to East Barta’a.  The workers arrive at the lower parking lot on the Palestinian side in small groups and disappear into the terminal.  Only two vans are waiting to be checked.

 
08:30 Tami receives a gift of cooked stuffed vegetables from her friend F. We declare them when we leave.  At the checkpoint the security vehicle calls two more security guards and they politely send us to the new vehicle inspection area.  We now have the opportunity to park in the new inspection shed where two other cars are being checked.  The vans are being checked in the fenced yard next to the shed.  Our boxes were taken for inspection in the area where the tenders stood.  The drivers are waiting in the booth between the two checking areas.  After several minutes the boxes of food were returned to us and we left.  The five vans that were checked also left.  The two that were in the parking lot were called to drive up to the inspection area.