'Anin

15:02 Anin

We are a little late. The checkpoint is open and the few people who have arrived are passing through. After a few minutes everybody has crossed.

15:50 Tura – Shaked

One woman has entered the seamline zone and is waiting for her transportation. She leaves and, as usual, there are no more people waiting at this hour.

16:00 Barta'a, the side of the seamline zone

"It stinks, this whole checkpoint stinks."

The bottom of a huge truck with an Israeli license plate is being checked by means of a mirror attached to a pole (like a dentist's mirror.) The truck is on its way to the seamline zone.

From somewhere, we hear dogs barking.

Large numbers of laborers are on their way home to the West Bank from their work in Israel and in the seamline zone. Few people are passing through in the opposite direction, from the West Bank to the seamline zone, most of them are women. Among them we see our acquaintances, the seamstresses who work in the sewing workshop in east Barta'a. If we understand correctly, they are working the afternoon shift.

The workers in the seamline zone complain that there is a line because only one window out of two is open. Luckily, it seems most of the laborers work in Israel so they do not have to be checked there. One of the workers is being quite resourceful. He manages to bring an office chair through the turnstile.

16:30

Through the sleeve, we walk up to the parking lot near the seamline zone.  Opposite us, many workers are coming down. One of them says: "It stinks, this whole checkpoint stinks." He is right, even though, if you look at it, the checkpoint is clean and tidy. Someone else says that his friend is mad because he wants t buy food at the diner belonging to a settler from Hermesh. Many people greet us saying "shalom."