'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Tue 1.12.09, Afternoon
Translation: Bracha B.A.
The little girl Aya’s permit from the West Bank is no longer valid and today we did not go to Jalame to take her to the hospital in Haifa. We hope that tomorrow she will be able to travel to Rambam Hospital for her dialysis treatments again.
This was a short shift since according to the Liaison and Coordination Administration the olive harvest is over and there is no longer any need to tend the olive groves and therefore the agricultural checkpoint at A’anin is only open on Mondays and Thursdays.
It was a routine shift without any exceptional events. The occupation continues and all is routine.
Shaked Checkpoint – 16:00
There are only a few people crossing, but there is constant movement of cars and pedestrians in both directions. Two large concrete blocks decorated with an |X framed in yellow are standing in the middle of the road inside the checkpoint. A regular car can drive by the blocks. The reason for them (which is hard to believe) is to prevent Jewish drivers from entering the checkpoint which has happened before. A resident of Um Reihan told us that today there is a good crew [of soldiers] and that there is another crew that is not good.
Reihan Checkpoint – 16:30-17:40
When we drove down to the lower parking lot we saw a long line of cars d coming from the West Bank to the seamline zone waiting to be checked. The lower parking lot was completely full and there is a steady flow of people coming out of the terminal returning home to the West Bank. Taxi drivers are waiting to take passengers to Ya’abed, Jenin, and Arabeh, as well as our friend who takes people to the bridge and back.
When we went up to the upper parking lot we no longer saw the vehicles waiting: evidently they had already driven in to be checked. We did not see when they left. We went down the sleeve
and here, too, we saw a steady flow of people returning to the West Bank. People came out quickly and evidently people only had to show their I.D. cards. |Workers went in with bags of fruit. Someone entered with a microwave and another with a dismantled bicycle with the wheels separated from the frame, etc. A few people came out in the opposite direction going towards the seamline zone. When we arrived there was a detainee sitting on the bench, but when the line goes through he is called and goes through as well.
It should be noted that only one window is open and despite this there were no delays. One strange thing happened: From somewhere in the terminal we heard someone calling |Sharon. We couldn’t find out who was calling or why.