Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked
Tura-Shaked Checkpoint 7:00-7:40
Today is a holiday (Sukkot) in Israel and a regular weekday in Palestine. The checkpoint is already open, there is no line and people and cars pass from side to side without delays. We usually arrive at this checkpoint on Saturdays, and today (Thursday) we discovered that the checkpoint opened at the late hour of seven, not only on Saturdays but also on Thursdays and Fridays. One person tells us that today everything is going fast because we are around... Nice to hear but it is doubtful whether this is true.
Many students arrive in school uniform and backpacks – something we don’t see on Saturdays. However, very few workers pass.
As indicated already, there are areas that underwent flattening and cleaning at the roadside. Today on one of them there are piles of manure and it looks as these are indeed areas intended for agricultural crops such as tobacco, regardless of the army and the administration.
One man speaks to us from his car with the following problem: his right hand has been injured (a work-related accident) and is non-functional, so he keeps it in his sweatshirts' pocket. That way he appears to be a threat and has been detained many times when he goes to Israel for medical treatments. He wants a kind of permit he could show when required to describe his problem and avoid delays. This morning, the medical certificate testifying to his condition is not on him, only summonses for medical examinations. We agreed that he would call us when he has the medical certificate, and we would photograph it. We welcome advice as to what and how we could make this card for him to facilitate his passage.
On the way to the Barta'a-Rihan Checkpoint a warning light came on in the car, and to avoid getting stuck we arrived at the checkpoint and went back at once, without going up to the inspection post. The upper parking lots near the Reihan Checkpoint were filled with cars and workers waiting for transportation - as they generally are when passage is reasonable. Perhaps the construction at Harish doesn’t stop during holidays and closures.