'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tayba-Rummana, Tura-Shaked
see a video of the incident in Taybeh Romana.checkpoint below
Barta’a Checkpoint 06:00
Money makes the world go round
A long waiting line stretches – expectedly at this hour – into the Palestinian car park, but this morning there is no chaos such as we’ve seen on other mornings. Although no one is supervising the line, people wait patiently and there is no crowding nor shoving near the turnstile. This morning one turnstile let in people by groups of about 25 at a time every few minutes. There appears to be no delay inside the terminal so the line is in flow. The volunteer ‘usher’ no longer works here and the paid ones (supervisors) supposed to continue his work remain jobless. This is because the Palestinian owners of the land on which this checkpoint is situated (the Amarna family from Ya’abad village) stopped the plan promoted by Jenin’s governor and the head of East Barta’a’s local council to charge money for parking here and use it to pay the car-park supervisors. The family is not willing for anyone other than themselves to earn money from the land that was indeed stolen from them but is still in fact their property. They will likely reach some sort of arrangement – neither side will readily give up the money.
‘Anin agricultural Checkpoint (214) 06:45 – few cross this checkpoint into the seam-line zone. We heard complaints about the soldiers new at this site, who pester people because of their clothes (claiming they are dressed too nicely to really be farmers) and suspect them of going not to work but elsewhere. The truth known to everyone is that any Palestinian entering the seam-line zone from here can actually proceed to move anywhere in the world unhampered. The separation fence was erected in order to separate Palestinian from their land (and eventually in order to take over the same land), and not to protect Tel Aviv from car bombs. We have seen how a single tractor is not allowed through, and since this is no new sight, we assume the driver has no permit required by law and therefore he cannot cross with it from the Occupied Territories into Area C controlled completely by Israel. A farmer without a tractor has a hard time tending to his olive tree groves and might even abandon them with time (it is happening in front of our very eyes). This draconian implementation, too, is part of the occupier’s expansionist intentions. Schoolchildren have now begun their long summer vacation which lasts 3 months. From now we will see them either joining their parents for work or on trips.
Toura-Shaked Checkpoint(300) 07:20 – At this time most Palestinians who work in the seam-line zone have already crossed. Traffic is sparse, schoolchildren are on vacation as are their teachers. The occupier’s garbage dumpster overflows.
Palestinian farmers cross here to their olive groves
beyond the separation fence. photo Karin A.
Tayibe-Roumana Agricultural Checkpoint (154) 08:00
almost a crossing strike
Border Policemen arrive 15 minutes late and open the checkpoint’s three gates. A Palestinian collects IDs from those waiting and goes to be checked first. As he is through, he calls the next one and leaves the checkpoint. This is how things proceed. At some point a father, mother and three children – a one-year old baby among them - approached the checking post. The Border Policemen sent them back home. “This is a gate for farm workers, not babies”. The father spoke to them angrily: “I have been crossing here for 11 years; suddenly you won’t let my children through? Children up to 12 years of age are registered in their parents’ ID and may cross the checkpoint with them.” Crossing wherever the parents go, unless the soldier at the checkpoint doesn’t know about this and insists on denying them passage. Apparently the policemen are not updated on the occupation’s procedures and continue to insist that this family does not look like it’s about to go work in their olive grove… The family returns to the waiting lines and from there the father calls out in rage: “If we don’t pass, no one does!” Then, “Go get your officer!” He is taken into the army jeep, apparently in order to put an end to this ‘strike’ before it begins. The waiting people’s solidarity does not hold more than two minutes. One by one they walk up to the checking area and proceed on their way. Some of them stop next to us to ventilate. In the meantime, someone calls the Palestinian or Israeli DCO and reports the situation. Within 10 minutes 2 Israeli DCO officers arrive, one of them an Arabic speaker. They explained the procedure to the policemen and instructed them to let the family through. “They simply hate us”, the father tells us, angrily.
More about this check[point: We were told that his Monday morning all or some of the men were not allowed to cross this checkpoint. The Palestinians called the Palestinian DCO who contacted the Israeli DCO and finally those refused entry got through, but 4 hours later than the usual opening time.