'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Thu 1.9.11, Afternoon
Translation: Bracha B.A.
Today is the third day of the holiday of Eid-el-Fitr.
14:50 – A'anin Checkpoint
The soldiers have already arrived but they do not let anyone through until the checkpoint opens at 15:00. About a dozen men, three women, three children, four tractors, and a donkey are waiting to cross. By 15:15 everyone has crossed over, and the soldiers have to wait until 15:30, but we did not.
15:25 – Shaked-Tura Checkpoint
There is very little traffic. A woman holding a baby
and another woman with a toddler wearing holiday clothing are waiting for their husbands to have their licenses and cars checked. One van is sent back to the seamline zone for reasons we don't know. An elegant man and three children on the Tura side are trying to cross to the seamline zone. We can tell from their body language that he is trying to convince the soldiers to let them through and not succeeding. Afterwards we'll know if they were allowed to cross, but we won't know why.
16:00 – Reihan-Barta'a Checkpoint
The Palestinian Parking Lot
A taxi from East Barta'a and its passengers are being checked on their way to the West Bank. There is no one going through the terminal on their way to the West Bank. A few families arrive at the terminal from the West Bank to visit families in the seamline zone. Among those who arrive are the man and his three children who were not allowed to cross at Shaked-Tura checkpoint. They are from the village of Kufirat east of Yaabed. The man's daughter is married and living in Dahar-al Malak in the seamline zone near Shaked-Tura checkpoint. The man and his children received a one-time permit to visit the seamline zone for the holiday and went to the Shaked-Tura checkpoint. Their permit stated, perhaps by mistake, that they were only allowed to cross at Reihan Barta'a, and they had to waste time and money traveling by taxi from Shaked Tura checkpoint to Reihan Barta'a and from there to Dahar al Malak during their holiday festivities.
At 16:25 we left the checkpoint. A taxi and its passengers are being checked on their way to the West Bank.