'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked
15:05. A’anin checkpoint
The checkpoint was already open. Many people and tractors were crowded at its entrance, as the soldiers admitted people only one at a time, despite of the hard rain. The tractors were loaded with firewood and lots of salvage.
An old woman wants to cross at A’anin, although her permit is for the Turah checkpoint. People tell us that because of a stone-throwing incident this morning, Turah crossing is closed. They also tell us that the soldiers have refused this woman’s request and sent her to Turah, in the rain.
We wanted to help and phoned the D.C.O. There they said that Turah checkpoint was open. We took the woman to Turah to make sure that she could cross the checkpoint..
15:30. Turah-Shaked checkpoint.
When we arrived to make sure that it had opened, it appeared at first to be open but not operational. Cars were standing on both sides and nothing seemed to be moving. After a while people started to exit out of the sleeve
, among them two women who had tried to talk to us. We understood that they had made large purchases of food, and the soldiers would not let them through because of the quantities. And indeed we saw that the driver of one of the cars had left full plastic bags on the West Bank side and only afterwards was he allowed to pass to the seam-line zone. Passing took more than half an hour.
Meanwhile, the old woman that we had brought from A’anin crossed in a car to the Palestinian side.
16.15. Barta’ah checkpoint.
Lots of cars bringing workers to the checkpoint. An unceasing stream of cars and people, most coming from Harish. The workers quickly enter the sleeve – in the usual Occupation routine.