Routine hides the injustices of occupation
East Barta’a Junction 6 a.m. road 611
Free passage through the holes in the Separation Fence continues. We do not know whether the Israeli army intervenes, we saw no military vehicles on all the tracks along which Palestinians move on foot and in vehicles headed for Israel.
The spot has become a major traffic junction, and Palestinian reach it from all through the West bank, not just the neighboring villages – mainly to work in construction at the Harish City being built. Israeli residents arrive here in their cars too, and from here continue to their work sites in buses and contractor transports. A kind of market has developed, now with 2-3 stalls showing a colorful assortment of vegetables and seasonal fruit, and even a stall for bric-a-brac. An improvised café is here too, with plastic chairs, an outdoor oven for making thyme and olive oil flat bread, and large thermos bottles of coffee. Most of the workers here are young, no women/
At the Barta’a Checkpoint there is no parking place, apparently passage through here to the seam zone and into Israel has not been reduced because of the holes in the fence.
Ya’abad-Dotan Junction 6:45 a.m.
No soldiers were seen on the watchtower and traffic east and west flows unhampered.
The yellow metal arm blocking a side road to Ya’abad was opened two weeks ago but is now closed again.
Ya’abad town wakes up to a sunny morning.
Toura-Shaked Junction 7:30 a.m.
Abandoned and filthy.