Reihan, Shaked, Sun 28.3.10, Morning
06:15 Reihan-Barta'a CP
Most of the workers from the industrial zone of Shaked and the seamstresses in Barta'a have gone through. In the sleeves, we meet the last of the workers on their way to their taxis and rides. The CP is almost empty of taxis; one driver approached us to say hello and to share the difficulties that he has; then he returned to his taxi to sleep. The other one is praying, on his knees on a prayer rug.
The first pickup truck with agricultural goods all wrapped in nylon wobbles into the parking lot. The driver discovers that he has a flat tire, and waits for help from the other drivers. People who arrive are swallowed up into the terminal without any wait time. It seems that the procedures are all well-oiled. In the inspection area ofthe drivers, six private cars have been waiting ever since we arrived. As time goes on another two were added and since there is no place for more, the security guard closes the yellow electric gate. Cars that will arrive now will wait on the road. In the meantime, taxis with Israeli licence plates go through as is taken for granted, in the lane that is theirs exclusively. The drivers of the Palestinian vehicles spend the time chatting outside their vehicles.
06:45 Eight vehicles are still waiting to get permission to go on to inspection. One of the drivers protests loudly: "How long do we have to wait?" We ask one of the security guards why there is a delay, and he answers, "the drivers know why." They don't tell us, it's a secret. While we are talking, the security guard gets a message to allow the the drivers to go up to the upper inspection area.
We go up to the sleeve
that goes down into the terminal in order to meet those coming out. According to these people, the passage is quick, taking about a quarter of an hour.
07:15 Four taxis out of the eight that went out for inspection are released to go on their way. The others, loaded with goods, go up to the upper inspection area.
07:30 Shaked-Tura CP
The last of the pupils go up to the road to the CP. They have study booklets rolled up in their hands. They are reviewing the material. A taxi driver drives the little children. Some of them get out of the vehicle and cross the CP on foot. Others stay inside and will go through in the car. The passage in the inspection pavilion is relatively quick. The soldier says that the computer fell and with manual inspection the passage is quick. They say that since the CP opened at seven, about 50 people went through, not including the students who go through every day at this time. In the meantime, the traffic is quite thin in both directions.
At about eight, after all the pupilshave gone through, we, too, leave.