Reihan, Shaked, Wed 23.5.12, Morning

Arrived at Shaked 8.30 a.m. A number of pedestrians and cars went through. We did not see hold-ups, apart from 3 men who left the biduk 20 minutes after we arrived and we had not seen them arrive. They must have been held up for some time. We asked the people how are the soldiers and all said fine apart from one. The pharmacist crossed into the seam area singing and seemed in a good mood.

On our way to Rihan we stopped to speak to two women working in the tobacco field clearing weeds.

Arrived at Rihan 10.15 a.m. 12 trucks waiting, one from the night before. The man we spoke to had been waiting to go through since 7.30 a.m. He says 7 trucks pass every time. Since 6.00 a.m. until we arrived 21 trucks had passed. They seem to accept the fact that the wait is extrememly long and one man had frozen meat on his truck. When we left I asked one of the security people about the meat and he said that it was not hot today. (Any frozen meat in the open will melt after a short time.) We left at 11.20 a.m after 10 trucks went through and ten were still waiting. There was a vegetable truck still waitng and the Arabs said it would only pass the next day.