Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked
A young man supposedly threw stones a long time ago. when? It's not clear. However, his father is paying the price and his entry permit to Israel has been revoked.
15:00 – Shaked – Tura Checkpoint
The checkpoint is quiet. Two pedestrians cross to the seamline zone and one crosses to the West Bank. Three cars cross to the West Bank. A woman with a baby
wrapped in a blanket gets out of one and goes to the inspection booth. One of the drivers complains about the frequent delays in the opening of the checkpoint in the morning.
15:30 – Reihan – Barta'a Checkpoint, Seamline Zone Side
A Palestinian man approaches us in the sleeve that leads to the terminal. He tells us that his nephew was arrested for throwing stones (or possibly not) a long time ago. The incident occurred a long time ago and is not connected to the current terrorism in the last few weeks. The young man is being held in Megiddo Prison and has not yet been tried, but his father and his entire family have already been punished. The father's work permit has been revoked, and his Israeli employer is trying to help but without success. The Liaison and Coordination Administration says that the permit will eventually be returned, but they don't know when: perhaps in a month or two.
Many workers are arriving. Those f who work in Israel go around the facility for registering permits, since in the afternoon they are not required to register. Two people ask that we come in the morning because it is difficult and crowded. One person says that things have been difficult in the last week and this morning was particularly difficult. A few people are crossing in the opposite towards the seamline zone, most of them are women, children and teenagers who are dressed up in holiday clothes.
16:10 – A'anin Checkpoint
We arrived late at the checkpoint and most of the people have already crossed. An old man greets us and his wife is riding on a donkey beside him. The checkpoint commander, a friendly second lieutenant, reports that about 30 people have already crossed and another 50 will arrive. The soldiers at the checkpoint are from the Bedouin Brigade. The crossing to the West Bank is running quickly and smoothly. The Brigade received instructions this week that there was no need to check ID cards or permits for people returning home to the West Bank. A young man arrives and presents his ID card out of habit.
We left at 16:30 – a half hour before the checkpoint is due to close according to the time during the olive harvest. These are the last days of the harvest. Next month (December) the checkpoint will again be open only twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.