Reihan, Shaked, Sun 6.3.11, Morning

Translation: Bracha B.A.

Three weeks ago I heard from Palestinian workers about the accelerated construction in the settlements, so today we went to see it. We could not enter Reihan because the gate locked automatically.  On our way to Hinanit we looked out over Tel Menasheh, which was designated to be a neighborhood of Hinanit, but has become a separate Orthodox settlement. There are also many trailers in which future residents of Hinanit will live when the building is completed.  We counted more than ten houses under construction in Hinanit, where the construction has been halted.  Our conclusion is that they are building in order to stay.

Reihan – Barta'a Checkpoint

We arrived about an hour after the checkpoint has opened, at 06:00.  We usually see workers waiting for their cars to be checked, but today we saw cars that had already been checked waiting for workers to come out of the terminal. Evidently there was a problem inside the terminal and people had to wait about an hour to get through.  One Palestinian showed us a paper stating that he had not returned home the previous evening before 21:00 at night and that if it happens again his permit will be revoked.  He claims that he had come back, and that he was now here to prove it since he had now come from his home.  It is not clear to us whether he had not come back before 21:00, or had come back but not listed. 

Shaked-Tura Checkpoint

The checkpoint opened before we arrived.  Cars from the seamline zone are checked in the following manner: The driver approaches the checkpoint, gets out, and is checked in the inspection booth. And then his car is checked and they cross.  The procedure is more complicated going in the opposite direction:  The driver has to drive up, leave his car, be checked, and then return to the car for it to be checked and then retrieve his documents in the inspection booth.

An elderly man is waiting on the seamline zone side. We noticed that crossing from the West Bank was being held up.  One teacher had already crossed, but another two were still waiting beside the turnstile.  A young woman carrying a baby girl comes out.  She was delayed for a long time because the baby was listed in her father's ID card and not in hers.  Finally the baby was given to her grandfather and they came out together.  The teachers also arrived.   An old man arrives on his white donkey.  A car filled with young children arrives and well-dressed little girls let the soldier check their schoolbags.  It doesn't seem strange to anyone except to us that young children have to be checked every day on the way to school.  It's merely the routine of the occupation.  

We also met the Palestinian who was beaten by soldiers several weeks ago and required medical treatment at the hospital. He didn't understand Hebrew and when the soldier spoke to him he thought he had been asked to pick up his shirt and remove his belt.  When he raised his hands, his pants fell down.  The soldier was insulted or angry and hit him and he was taken to the hospital in Jenin.  He was not happy with his treatment there and asked to be taken to hospital in Israel. One of our members referred him to the Association for Human rights and he was offered legal aid to pursue a lawsuit, but in the end he was not interested and his condition eventually improved.