Hamra (Beqaot)

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Observers: 
Revital S., Rachele H. (Reporting and Photography) Marcia
Mar-23-2016
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Afternoon

13.30 - 14.3513:30 – 14:35

13:30

Bezek Checkpoint –We pass by.

Today it is very hot.  The green winter scenery is starting to fade.  Flocks of sheet and shepherds are seen on the slopes. Apparently tranquil.  On the way up in the direction of Tyasir, we didn’t see any soldiers. Construction work is continuing around a water pipe.  Tyasir checkpoint is open.  The pillbox at the checkpoint is desolate.   Vehicle traffic is in two directions.

 

Highway 578/Allon Highway

There was no army movement, the highway looks like it is always friendly.  The gate, the southern obstacle, and two settlements opposite, do not allow one to imagine a tranquil life in this beautiful place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamra Checkpoint, 14:00 (Why is it needed?)

No car, no one waiting on the road that from the east to the checkpoint, is the checkpoint .  Within seconds there will be a line of 13 cars waiting to pass. 

The passage was fast, with no inspection and no delay.  The drivers who are used to waiting for the command of the soldiers to proceed to the checkpoint, hesitate a bit and then continue to travel.

Two reserve soldiers come to check who we are.  Not like many others, they know about MachsomWatch.  A short conversation of mutual interest began (one soldier was from Jerusalem and the other from the settlement of Efrat; they belong to the battalion of Tomar of the Jordan Valley brigade), and we understood that the “Lions of the Jordan” is still in exercises.  They asked if we had water and returned to their station on the road.

Later, two Israeli cars arrived at the checkpoint.  One, passed without delay from the Arava (to the direction of the West Bank – why?), and the other, after a short delay, returned and parked next to us.  The driver, in army clothes with no ranking or symbols, asked for our identity cards.  Why? ‘Because we are documenting an army installation that belongs to him,and who gave us permission for this and blah…blah….blah… ‘

We answered him what we answered, in words like that, and we asked him for identification.  After he spoke with whom he spoke by telephone, he said that we had to wait for the police who would arrive in order to identify us. However, it was worthwhile for him to get down from his high horse and he also said “Until now, you are invited to get out of this place . . . . “

Thus at 14:20 we “got out ” of there.  All the time that we remained there, the cars that had accumulated from the east, passed in a convoy with no delay.

 

The owner of the army "installation" in his car