Eliyahu Crossing, Habla, Jayyus
The water pump at Habla is still operated with Gasoline, as the permit to transfer it to Electricity has still not been issued – six months since the process began.
06:00: Sha'ar Eliyahu – Many vehicles are awaiting the procedure of a thorough check. Most bear an Israeli license plate, meaning that these are Israelis inhabitants of working in Israel – of course it's cheaper to live in the West Bank. No pedestrians were noted.
06:30 Juyyus (south) Gate: We were told at the Matak that this gate was opened daily. It was too early to check as the gate opens up at 07:15. We waited but no, no one showed up. Will need to find out the goings-on there.
We met an elderly woman who lives near the gate - she claimed it never opened - and she begged us to secure her a permit – we explained that this was beyond our capabilities.
07:30: Habla: No lines. Re- the water pump and its transfer to electricity, we spoke with E. and understood that the issue was still not resolved, though there may be a reply this afternoon.
The passage gates into the seam-zone at Habla are not locked though they are closed and need to be opened individually to allow people to pass. People are asked by a soldier at the booth to close the gate whenever passing through it. The same rule applies for sheep and this is an amusing sight. Often the soldiers monitor passage through the turnstile from their watch-booth, limiting passage to groups of five, no more.
By 08:00 passage was completed and the gate was closed.