Barta'a checkpoint: Are more Palestinians passing through the separation fence?

Place:

Barta'a-Reihan

Tura-Shaked

Ya'bed-Dotan

Tags:

Breach in the separation fence

Observers:

Rachel Weitzman, Ruti Tuval (reporting)

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Jan-2-2022

Afternoon

14:50: We arrived at Barta’a-Rihan checkpoint from Harish. On the way, we saw a maintenance vehicle on the security road. All is quiet opposite the breach in the fence. At the checkpoint, there are a few cars in the northern parking lot, but not a living soul. The southern parking lot (Area C) is full, but there’s still no movement there.

15:00 Ya’bed-Dotan checkpoint

A few cars pass without any hold-up. Drivers wave a greeting. An officer and a regular soldier come down to us from the pillbox. They ask who we are, but are not interested in us, and this time aren’t even concerned about our welfare. Apathetic.

On the way to Emricha, a military vehicle is parked at the place where Ahmad El-Aziz Hachmat from the village Mirka in south Jenin (according to Ynet) was burned to death on December 21, 2021. He was suspected of an attempted ramming attack. Two soldiers are apparently picking up the remains or cleaning up.

We moved on in the direction of the Hermesh settlement just to make sure there’s nothing new there. A rusty watchtower and concrete blocks on the narrow road are a reminder of a checkpoint on the other side of which lies Area A.

Driving back to Barta’a-Rihan checkpoint

Driving on route 611, we noticeג for the first time a long, light structure to the north, far from the checkpoint. In an attempt to understand what it was, we drove in the direction of east Barta’a. We were unable to associate it with any locality. Maybe it’s in a Palestinian village, maybe some nearby settlement. It needs to be clarified. In the meantime, workers began to arrive at the breach in the separation fence.

We decided to carry on and get to the Tura checkpoint roundabout through east and west Barta’a. We drove along the main road, packed with people and cars, altogether a rich décor, full of attractions. We stop at one of the nurseries to buy pansies, rain chimes, and crocuses.

16:40 Tura-Shaked checkpoint

The traffic here is livelier than ever. Lots of men and women crossing in both directions. Here too, we noticed apathetic soldiers. A driver who was hurrying towards the West Bank was now waiting impatiently in the middle of the checkpoint, but the iron barrier was blocking his way. The soldiers ignored him, chatting amongst themselves beside the raised concrete blocks. When we tried to draw their attention to the driver, they dawdled, rather deliberately, and eventually raised the barrier for him. Another car passed swiftly through after him.

צפון 02.01.2022

רחל ויצמן, רותי תובל (מדווחת)

14:50- הגענו מכיוון חריש למחסום ברטעה-ריחן. בדרך צפינו ברכב תחזוקה על דרך המערכת. מול הפרצה שקט עכשיו. במחסום - בחניון הצפוני יש מכוניות מעטות ואין נפש חיה. החניון הדרומי (שטחC ) מלא אך עדיין אין בו תנועה.

15:00 מחסום יעבד-דותן

מכוניות מעטות חולפות ללא עיכוב. נהגים מנפנפים לשלום. קצין וחייל יורדים אלינו מהפילבוקס. שואלים מי אנו אך לא מתעניינים בנו והפעם גם לא דואגים לשלומנו. אדישים.

בדרך לאמריחה emricha- רכב צבאי חונה במקום בו נשרף למוות ב-21.12.21 אחמד אל-עזיז חכמת מהכפר מירכה שבדרום ג'נין (כך לפיYnet ), שנחשד בניסיון לבצע פיגוע דריסה ונורה. שני חיילים עסוקים כנראה באיסוף שאריות או בניקיון.

המשכנו לכיוון התנחלות חרמש רק כדי לוודא שאין בה כל חדש. מגדל שמירה חלוד ובטונדות על הכביש הצר הם מזכרת למחסום שמעבר לו נמצא שטח A.

בדרך חזרה למחסום ברטעה-ריחן

בדרכנו בכביש 611 הבחנו לראשונה במבנה בהיר וארוך מכיוון צפון והרחק מהמחסום. ניסינו להבין מהו ולכן נסענו לכיוון ברטעה המזרחית. לא הצלחנו לשייך אותו ליישוב כלשהו. אולי הוא נמצא בכפר פלסטיני ואולי באיזה התנחלות בסביבה. צריך לברר. בינתיים מתחילים להגיע פועלים אל הפירצה בגדר ההפרדה.

החלטנו להמשיך ולהגיע למחסום טורה סביב-סביב דרך ברטעה המזרחית והמערבית. נסענו לאורכו של הכביש הראשי ההומה אדם ומכוניות וכולו תפאורה עשירה, מלאה אטרקציות. עצרנו באחת המשתלות לקנות אמנון ותמר, פעמוני גשם, כרכומים.

16:40 מחסום טורה-שקד

התנועה כאן ערה מתמיד. הרבה גברים ונשים עוברים בשני הכיוונים. גם כאן הבחנו בחיילים אדישים. נהג שמיהר קודם לכיוון הגדה מחכה עכשיו באמצע המחסום בקוצר רוח, אבל זרוע הברזל חוסמת אותו. החיילים מתעלמים ממנו, מקשקשים ביניהם ליד הבטונדה המוגבהת. כשאנחנו מנסות להסב את תשומת לבם אל הנהג הם משתהים, עושים קצת "דווקא" ולבסוף מרימים את המחסום לכבודו.
מכונית נוספת עוברת אחריו במהירות.

Location Description

Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

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This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.

fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)

Mar-22-2022

Ruti Tuval

The locked gate at the Anin checkpoint

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Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).

Ya’abad-Dotan

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This checkpoint is located on road 585, at the crossroads of Mevo Dotan settler-colony / Jenin/ Ya’abad. It has an army watchtower (‘pillbox’ post) and concrete blocs that slow down vehicular traffic. It was erected when Barta’a Checkpoint, lying to the west on the Separation Fence, was privatized and its operation was passed over to civilian security personnel. Since December 2009 this checkpoint enables flow of Palestinian vehicular traffic towards the Barta’a Checkpoint. Seldom is it manned by soldiers sitting in the watchtower, who conduct random inspections of vehicles and passengers. (february 2020)