'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan
06:30 – A'anin Checkpoint
A vehicle from the Liaison and Coordination Administration is already at the checkpoint. The army vehicle that is bringing the keys to the gates is late. An officer and two women cadets get out of the Liaison and Coordination Administration vehicle. About two dozen people and two tractors cross to the seamline zone.
06:50 – The checkpoint closes ten minutes before it is due to close. A soldier reports that an officer from the Liaison and Coordination Administration has given permission to close the checkpoint early. The officer consents, saying that everyone has crossed anyway. There is a security incident along the separation fence and the soldiers must go to see what is going on. They will return later to see if anyone is there who wants to cross. We have no way of knowing if they really returned or not.
This week a person was shot and killed near Tura – Shaked Checkpoint.
Tura – Shaked Checkpoint, 07:00
The soldiers lazily open the checkpoint. The first person crosses to the seamline zone at 07:15. A cute lamb crosses as it is held by its owner. People are waiting to cross on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint. There are no school children today. Tomorrow is May Day, the workers' holiday, and schools are on holiday today as well. One of the teachers who lives in the West Bank and teachers in the school at Um Al-Reihan in the seamline zone is crossing today despite the holiday. Before he became a teacher he worked in the carpet factory in the Shahak Industrial Zone. He still works there part-time on holidays and weekends to ensure his future pension.
Yesterday, Wednesday April 29th a small article appeared in the Israeli Newspaper HaAretz on page six stating that a Palestinian had been shot and killed by the IDF. The article stated that the young man, who was 18 years old, was shot near the settlement of Shaked and died of his injuries at the hospital in Nablus. According to the army stones were thrown at soldiers. The checkpoint is now quiet. It is hard to imagine that a young man was recently killed here. One person tells us that someone "died" at the checkpoint two days ago. He then said that he was shot because he was taking pictures of the fence. Afterwards someone to whom we gave a ride told us that the young man was with his parents next to the fence tending olive trees with his parents.
At 08:00 we drove past Reihan – Barta'a Checkpoint. A lot of tenders are waiting next to the vehicle inspection point. Both sides of the bridge are blocked as usual: one by an iron gate and the other by concrete barriers. The gate leading to Emricha is also locked and an army jeep is parked beside it.
08:10 – Yaabed – Dotan Checkpoint – The checkpoint is not manned. Traffic is moving freely in both directions.
08:20 – Reihan – Barta'a Checkpoint, Palestinian Side
Both the regular and the auxiliary parking lot are full and there are a lot of cars parked along the road. The gate to the terminal is closed. About a dozen people are waiting. After a short time the gate opens and people say it is because we are there. People continue to arrive and enter immediately. There is a sign in Arabic with pictures of various items that can be brought through only after 10:00 AM. These include tools and other items that are liable to delay the inspections during rush hour. One of the drivers explains that sometimes people are allowed to bring in these tools only after 12:00. We were also told that people were arrested for throwing stones. We assume that the army jeep parked near Yaabed has to do with this.
09:00 – We left. We cannot stop thinking about the young 19-year-old man who was shot and killed near Tura-Shaked Checkpoint.