Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked
06:00 BARTA'A Checkpoint
The fog on the way delays us. The checkpoint is full of people. We were afraid that as a result of the news about IDF activity in Jenin we will feel tention, but Jenin was not mentioned. Some of the people complain about the long time it takes to go through the checkpoint, others say "o.k.", a non commited phraze, and I think it is cynical, in a sort of forced acceptence. There are 13 trucks waiting on the road loaded with agricultural merchendise.
07:00 TURA checkpoint
There is nobody there. From the other side we hear many people. The teacher arrives by his car. Four more cars, pupils, but the soldiers are nowhere to be seen. The arrive at 07:15. 5 more minutes and the gate opens. A young tire man who has returned from a tiring night shift, standing on his feet all night long, yearning to get to bed. The children go through. An old man arrives with his dondey: "it is difficult, difficult". A man who went through is complaining :"What are you doing here anyways?" A man who brings tobacco from this side into the west bank is complaining that they cause him trouble all the time about the tobacco. DCO, phone calls, he is sweating, wiped out, yesterday too there were troubles, through the whole week actually, do something. A shepherd was forced to clean the road after his sheep! A young man says: a soldeir is playing with his smartphone, that must be fascinating, and I have to wait in the meanwhile. He tells us about a continuous abuse in the population. A soldier aimed his gun at a pregnent woman,m and she had a miscarriage. The same guy was arrested a few times by the soldiers who put handcuffs on him and blindfolded his eyes. When he asked them why, they said - because we want to. This is his story. "Ihave stories - plenty" and he shows us how many by spreading his arms. A worker who went through tells us that one morning he went through too late and missed the transportantion. He missed a day of work. He sais: "When you ar here the soldiers don't annoy us. He tells us that he wants to get married byt he has no money. Many complaints about DCO. In order to renew the permit to go through the checkpoint one has to wait 5 hours in line, and then they close the window and they didn't get there. Yhe next day they come and experience the same thing. "If you have no luck it can take a few days". An older person sais that he is the head of the village (The Muchtar) since the time of the Jordanians. He has no energy to work the land, and they don't give his children permit to get to the family lot near the checkpoint. It is sad