'Anin, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan

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Observers: 
Nurit Perla, Shula Bar (reporting and photographing) Translator: Charles K.
Jan-2-2014
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Morning

A’anin checkpoint (214)

We arrived at 06:00.  The DCO staff arrived in their white Toyota at 06:20.  The soldiers arrived at 06:35.  The sun was also late peeking through the mist.

The first person went through the checkpoint at 06:43.  He was followed by a man angry at the soldiers and at us.  You’re no help at all.  Not at all.  Why do the soldiers tell us to remove our shirt?  And another shirt?  So I’m wearing three shirts – so what?  It’s cold, isn’t it? 

He said his son failed the dress test and wasn’t allowed to cross, meaning that on the basis of the clothes he was wearing (too nice?) the soldiers decided he wasn’t on his way to work in the fields; that’s what was written on his permit.

 

Tura-Shaked checkpoint (300)

07:15  Men cross to work in the seam zone.  Pupils arrive after 07:30; the little ones are sweet like little children everywhere, but here their smile and “shalom” in Hebrew has added value, warming the heart.  One of the men waiting at the entrance to the checkpoint complains the shed where people wait has gaps on all sides and there’s nowhere to shelter when it rains.  I’m not a soldier, he says, I don’t have to stand here.  But if they make me wait, they should fix the shed.

 

Yabed-Dothan checkpoint

07:45  Traffic flowed without delays.  A pair of soldiers (new to the checkpoint) comes over to find out who we are and hang around for a conversation I characterize as “parallel lines never meet.”  What bothers them is our disregard of the importance of their military service for the country’s security; that we photograph soldiers and embarrass them by putting their pictures on our web site.  As far as they’re concerned, the occupation can go on forever (after all, they were born into it).

 

The route among the checkpoints in the area is amazingly beautiful.