'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Mon 14.9.09, Morning
Translation: Bracha B.A.06:10 A’anin
There are a few people. The soldiers who noticed us moved the hummer in order to hide something…However, there is a grove nearby filled with junk and from there we can observe the checkpoint. An old man with his donkey is checked for five minutes. A soldier checks another person’s permit. He turns it in every direction for three minutes, and it is acceptable. A woman arrives with a 12-year-old boy. The woman gets through and the boy is sent back. A man on a tractor passes through in five minutes. Another youth is sent back. 06:35 – The soldiers lock the gates. Several people who are between the two fences within the checkpoint are sent back in the direction of the village of A’anin. The soldiers say that they came late and claim that they are not going to farm their land but going to Um El Fahem. We are unable to do anything.There is a happy ending to the episode: One of the people sent back shouts his telephone number to us. We gave the number to Lieutenant-Colonel Aadel, the head of the Liaison and Coordination Administration at Salem, who saw to it that the returnees were let through. 07:20 – Reihan Barta’a
4 tenders loaded with vegetables are waiting to be checked. People who are coming pass through immediately.We met a group of nine youths who appear to be confused and tired. They were caught in Israel at night in Kfar Manda. They are from a village near Hebron. One tells us that his telephone, which cost NIS 1,000, together with a phone card that cost NIS 60 and NIS 100 in cash that were in his wallet have disappeared. They told us that another five youths were being detained in the Misgav police station and one was released on bail. The nine youths are waiting for their friends. We later clarified by phone that the five were released at 12:00 noon. Another phone call later revealed that the money was returned, but we did not succeed in verifying what happened to the telephone. We met a young man who works in the seamline zone. In order to visit his family who lives on the other side of the fence, he has to travel across half of Israel. The trip costs him NIS 300 and takes an entire day.We also met two children at the checkpoint who are apparently beggars. One, about 10 years old, takes out a cigarette despite the fact that it is Ramadan. They look to us to be children without a future and without the opportunity of choice.08:30 Shaked-TuraThe students have already gone through. We saw one of the teachers. We are told that this morning about 150 people passed through.08:45 – Sadly, we left the checkpoint.