'Anin, Mevo Dotan (Imriha), Reihan, Shaked, Tue 9.11.10, Morning
Translation: Bracha B.A.
06:10 – 'Anin Checkpoint
People are walking down the road from the checkpoint to their olive groves. They tell us that members of their families have still not received permits to work in the olive harvest (which is now over). Children from the Bedouin village are waiting for their ride to school at Um A-Reihan. The driver tells us that the parents have to pay for the ride.
At 016:45 an officer arrives from the Liaison and Coordination Administration arrives after all the people have already gone through. He claims to have come from Tibeh Romena Checkpoint near Um Al Fahem where only a half a dozen people passed through. The seamline zone there is very small and there are no olive trees there. All the farmers were called to appear at the checkpoint and about 20 people came. The farmers were asked by the Liaison and Coordination Administration to plant something on their land in the seamline zone. Before the gates were locked the soldiers swept the ground between the two gates.
07:00 – Shaked – Tura Checkpoint
There is a lot of traffic in both directions. The young school children arrived all piled into one car. Their bags are briefly checked and they quickly run outside again. The older children are checked a little more thoroughly and the soldiers go through their school bags.
A resident of Tura in the West bank who owns a donkey and wagon wants to bring prunings from his olive trees through the checkpoint to heat his home and has not been permitted to bring it through for ten days. We were told by the Liaison and Coordination Administration that the man is not talking about a wagon and donkey, but a large wagon pulled by a tractor, and that the wood is bound for the charcoal factory in the West bank. When we say that we saw the tractor and wagon (without the wood) we were told that the man should contact the Liaison and Coordination Administration and make arrangements with an officer named Yusuf to bring the wood across. We hope he succeeds.
07:50 – Dotan Checkpoint
On our way to Dotan Checkpoint we saw a lot of cars waiting for passengers in the upper parking lot at Reihan-Barta'a Checkpoint. The gates on the road are always locked and about ten cars that could not drive up to the road were parked on the sides of the gate. A sergeant asked us to move our car so that he would not have to guard us and finally reported that he had more urgent business. There is little traffic in either direction at this hour
08:05 – Hermesh Checkpoint
The Checkpoint is open and unmanned. There is little traffic at this time.
08:20 Reihan – Barta'a CheckpointThe lower parking lot is filled with cars. There is a relaxed atmosphere under the shed, with concrete benches, plastic chairs, and an impromptu kiosk and corner for people to pray. The checkpoint security company is taking care to clean and care for this area as well.
Workers and businessmen from East Barta'a arrive in groups and disappear into the terminal. A few people cross to the West bank.
At 09:00 we leave the checkpoint. Six loaded tenders are waiting in front of the checkpoint and three more are waiting in the parking lot. We returned via Barta'a and the market, hoping for a better future. Only the red and white signs differentiate between the Palestinian side and the Israeli side.