'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan
Anin Agricultural Checkpoint
The checkpoint is supposed to open at06.30. At this hour only the civilian administration car is there, and the soldiers’ vehicle arrives with a short delay. The first Palestinian crosses the checkpoint at 06.38. Altogether, five tractors and about fourteen people cross through the checkpoint. One of them tells us that at present no permits for agricultural work are being issued in the village.
07:08 Tura-Shaked Checkpoint
A number of vehicles from the seamline zone are waiting for the checkpoint to open, and for people to come through. We see the young schoolchildren coming through first, on their way to their school in the village of Tura. On the village side there is a crowd of people waiting to cross to their work in the seamline zone. A babble of voices and shouts can be heard.
A vehicle arrive, loaded with schoolchildren from the Um-Reihan school, on a school trip, and they also pass through the checkpoint. At 07.15, vehicles from the seamline zone start to pass through the checkpoint on their way to the Jordan Valley.
Only at 07.20 people start to cross in the direction of the seamline zone. At first they don’t tell us specifically why there’s been a delay, and just indicate that there was some confusion. Later, they tell us that the queue was disorderly and people who arrived late tried to by-pass those who had been waiting at the checkpoint from 06:00. Because of the uproar the soldiers didn’t open the checkpoint. One of the people jokes that someone in the civil administration
is “helping” to make the crossing slow.
At first, people dribble out one by one, and after about a quarter of an hour the number of people increases.
07.55 Ya’abed-Dotan Checkpoint
The checkpoint is open and there is no interference with the traffic. The soldiers approach us and ask us to identify ourselves.
08.10 Barta’a – Reihan
The parking area is full and trucks go through for inspection.