'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked
A'anin Agricultural Checkpoint
All the gates
of the checkpoint are open and the soldiers are getting ready to let people through. The tractors cross first. We watch the body language of people who have permits: they attempt to convince and explain things to the soldiers, and within a minute they cross. One of them complains that the woman soldier had claimed that he had no permit when he returned to the village the last time. He is therefore accused of remaining illegally in Israel or the seamline zone overnight. He and the soldier agree that this is the "last time" and he is allowed to cross.
There are other complaints about the meticulous inspection of bags of sandwiches which people take with them in the morning, and if there is a toothbrush inside even more so. If a man is wearing a white shirt he is accused of going to Israel and not to work in his olive grove, heaven forbid…he then undergoes a grilling interrogation. These are things people complain about.
There are piles of used clothing next to the checkpoint. These are used clothes which members of Machsom Watch have brought over and people were not permitted to take across because it is "not permitted to bring clothing across the checkpoint." For this reason we could not give anyone here the clothing we had with us.
By 06:10 five tractors had crossed and 15 people were still waiting. At 06:20 two young people were sent back. At 06:30 three people emerged after arguing with the woman soldier. By 06:37 no one else was waiting to cross and the checkpoint closed.
We left, feeling secure in the knowledge that someone is guarding us from those who wish to do us harm…
06:50 – New Barta'a Checkpoint
Those who have already crossed the checkpoint are waiting for rides to work. There are, of course, no benches for people to sit on while waiting. More and more people are walking up the sleeve from the terminal. The men are fastening their belts as they walk. They are angry and not everyone greets us or says "good morning" and they ignore us. What does this imply about their crossing? I wonder if anything has happened recently. They answer "no," curtly; they don't understand Hebrew. It appears that today the crossing is difficult.
Buses with students from the settlements arrive from the direction of the West Bank. The students cheerfully disembark to wait for the bus which will take them to school in Israel. They are completely blind to what is happening next to them in the West Bank. The road leading to the bus stop is about two meters wide. An Israeli vehicle winds its way through and there is a lot of activity in the area of the checkpoint. Meanwhile weary people are crossing through the sleeve, which is only a meter and a half wide. They walk along the area which is walled and fenced in.
An armed security guard asks politely to see what I am writing. I refuse and suggest him to read the reports on our website. He says that by then perhaps it will be too late. I assure him that I will not disclose any military secrets in a place where civilians cross.
07:15 – Tura Checkpoint
School children are crossing to their school in Tura on the other side of the checkpoint, and about 20 people are waiting to cross to the seamline zone. Everything here is as usual.
Mahmud, the driver of the old Subaru, is willing to take our bags of used clothing and distribute them to needy people.
We left at 07:45.
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