'Anabta, Deir Sharaf, Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), Shave Shomron, Te'enim Crossing, Za'tara (Tapuah), Sun 13.1.13, Morning
Observers:
Tamar S., Anna S., Dalia G., Aliyah S. (reporting)
Jan-13-2013
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Morning
10:00 We started at Irtah to show and explain to the new members of our group one of the gates through which the Palestinians who work in Israel have to go twice each day. All the families who visit those Palestinians who are imprisoned in Israel also have to go through these gates. At that hour the gate was almost empty; just a few people came through.
We then went through the Te'enim checkpoint and there was an explanation about Jubara, Abu Khatem's house, and the children's gate. The fence and gate to the road into Jubara is gone but the road is blocked by a low barrier of large stones and we could see only Abu Khatem's lonely house.
We drove to the 'Anabta checkpoint which is open, and explained how it once was blocked. Then we went on Road 60 to Shavei Shomron. There was a long line of cars going in the direction of Jenin, and we could see another long line coming from Jenin. The checkpoint was manned by soldiers from the Border Police Force, and they were checking all the cars. An officer didn't allow us to get too close to the checkpoint and also refused to answer any questions about the meaning of it. We saw one Palestinian who had been taken out of a car and was standing at the side. We called the Moked and were told that the Shomron Unit of the IDF had not put up a checkpoint. I explained that there was a working checkpoint there. The speaker from Moked called back to say that it was an action of the Shabak (Security Service) and no other information could be given to us.
We visited Jamal at his Mini-market in Deir Sharaf and went to see where the Beit Iba checkpoint had been. From there we drove to Huwarra and saw the closed checkpoint there. At the checkpoint on the road out of Nablus the cars were moving very slowly. Although there was no checking of the cars, the road is in such bad condition that the cars were moving one by one very carefully.At the large traffic circle where the road goes west to Bracha there is a lot of work going on. The circle is being redecorated, perhaps there will even be a fountain in the center. Isn't that lovely!
At Za'atra, Tapuach Junction, we saw two soldiers talking to to each other in the central enclosure. That's all. We left at 13:00 through the Shomron Gate