Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan
8.20 – 6.30
6:30 – Anin checkpoint
A military vehicle as well as a DCO car arrive on site and the checkpoint opens after 5 minutes.
The 2 cars drive down a the area of the checkpoint where inspection takes place.
15 people, 6 tractors (some are loaded with olive plants) come out.
At 6:50 It seems that all had gone through but the gate was still open.
6:55– We left.
7:00 – Tura-Shaked checkpoint
The gate opened at 7:00, but there was still not an orderly passage. Only school children go through.
At 7:10 the schools' principal drive through in his vehicle and teachers from the West Bank go out into the Seam Line zone.
There are only a few people waiting by the carousel at the entrance to the inspection cabin. It turns out that people from the West Bank are led into the inspection area in groups of five at a time.
Quite heavy traffic but smooth passage of vehicles, pupils and people on both sides.
07:30 Barta'a-Rihan checkpoint
At the upper car park there are still many workers who get on Israeli and Palestinian vehicles. It appears that more and more workers use this checkpoint to get to work in the morning.
People who walk up the sleeve tell us that there are problems with the biometric machines and many workers were sent back today. As it turns out that today was a "Censor day" where people who in the last few days did not sign upon returning to the West bank, were not allowed to go to work. The most common complain that we've heard was that often times when the Biometric machine is out of order, workers don't have the patience to wait in the long line to register.
Once more we were approached with the complaint of delays at the Ya'abed-Dotan checkpoint. This checkpoint is located on the main road that leads many workers to Rihan as well as to Sha'ar Ephraim and it is unclear why the army does not to the inspection at the fork of the road leading to Mevoh Dotan.
They claim that our own presence on site, helps.
Another repeated complaint is that the checkpoint opens on Fridays and Saturdays in the morning only at 7:00. And that causes great crowed and lateness at work.
The coffee old peddler at the exit of the sleeve is now banned from selling sweets other than coffee.