'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Mon 23.11.09, Morning
Translation: Bracha B.A.
06:10 A’anin Checkpoint
Only a few people are going through the checkpoint which is not as it usually is. There are about 30 people and tractors. The reason there are so few people is that work permits have not been renewed. F., the vice-president of the regional council claims that a meeting was scheduled between the council and the Liaison and Coordination Administration at Salem regarding the end of the olive harvest season, but the Liaison and Coordination Administration cancelled the meeting and has not yet rescheduled it. The problem that existed in the past is therefore reoccurring: people can only renew their permits after the old one has already expired and until they receive a new one (if they do at all) they cannot go to work.
06:50 - |Reihan Barta’a Checkpoint
Drivers are waiting for workers in the upper parking lot who are on their way to work. A group of people who work at the Shahak industrial zone and others are waiting for their rides. Six tenders with agricultural goods are waiting for checks to begin. In the lower parking lot it is despairingly quiet. The unregistered taxi drivers have disappeared and the noise and traffic that used to be there is no longer present. Instead there are only a few waiting. Occasionally a group of workers arrives and disappears immediately into the terminal. We bought olive oil that we had ordered ahead of time and left for Shaked Checkpoint. We declared the oil, it was inspected, and we were allowed to leave.
07:30-08:00 – Shaked-Tura Checkpoint
People are passing through quickly and there are no delays or lines in either direction. We did not see the schoolchildren. Possibly they have already gone through. We stayed for a relatively short time. People told us about the hardships imposed by the fence that has been placed on private property. We left for Jalameh to pick up Aya and bring her to Rambam Hospital with a feeling of helplessness and that there is little that we can do.