Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked

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Observers: 
Ruthi T., Hassida S. (reporting)
Oct-4-2015
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Morning

 

 

Tura-Shaked 07.00

The CP is open. On the Tura side a group of people stands near the turnstile. Cars which come from the West Bank to the Seam Zone are being checked and then pass, and so do the cars in the direction of the West Bank. 4 young men enter the checking building and pass to the West Bank. Schoolchildren pass without being checked. The traffic flows without hindrance. We are told that in the village it is quiet and that everything is fine.

 

Barta'a Reihan 07.30

Lots of workers have already passed from the West Bank to the seam zone, and are now waiting for transportation. They sit on the curbs, among the many cars which load workers, mainly to Barta'a. At the vehicle CP each car is meticulously checked, and a dog is also used. We went down to the lower parking lot, full of cars and people, some around the cars, others at the gate to the turnstile in an attempt to reach their workplace quickly. There is also a group of women standing near the cars.

 

In former reports it has already been pointed out how absurd it is that on Fridays and before holidays (like today) when the workday is short, the CP is opened at 07:00 and not at 05:00, as it does on ordinary working days. Since people pass from here to work in Israel, one sees here particularly bad things. Crowding, climbing on the roof of turnstiles, etc. One Palestinian complained that his permit had been taken from him because he had climbed up the roof. On this side there are two turnstiles, most of the time each one lets people pass to a different direction. Today both let people pass to the seam zone. At one turnstile, 50 people pass at one go, and at the other, because of its structure, only two. When people want to cross to the opposite direction this detains those who wish to leave for work in the seam zone. Other delays are caused when military cars arrive and pass through the terminal, and then the people’s passage is halted. Notwithstanding all this, according to our timing, the passage per person lasted a quarter of an hour.

 

We stood near the slow turnstile when one of the women came and stood by the side to assess the chances of entering and reaching work. Slowly her colleagues joined her and we asked the men to free the passage for them. It didn't require much effort to convince them. One of them removed the men and invited the women to pass. We met them at the upper terminal exit and they greeted us with "shtarat," meaning, more or less, "well done."  So Israeli women can cooperate with Palestinian men for the good of Palestinian women.