Northern Checkpoints: What is good for the occupation is bad for the Palestinians

Happy Purim at the Checkpoints

06:00 – 07:20

Palestinians from the West Bank cross through the northern checkpoints.  Most cross to the seamline zone and a few cross to work in Israel.  The closure for the Purim holiday did not include the seamline zone, (the area between the green line border and the separation barrier) so we saw little difference in the number of people crossing compared to other days.   We had received reports about problems between people crossing and religious soldiers at Yaabed Checkpoint, so we drove there first.  We didn’t see any soldiers there at all and the checkpoint was open, so we drove back to A’anin checkpoint.  On the way we passed  Barta’a Checkpoint.  Workers were coming out to go to work in Barta’a and the surrounding area. 

The DCO and checkpoint authorities are proud of the fact that they “retained order” and located a lot of people who were crossing here to Israel without working permits.  The result is that the checkpoint is quieter and the occupation is doing well, and things are consequently worse for the Palestinians.  The decrease in the number of Palestinians allowed to cross here has harmed people’s livelihoods.  People now have to travel farther to work and spend more money on transportation.

06:30 – A`anin Agricultural Checkpoint

This checkpoint opens twice each week on Mondays and Wednesdays/ From here people from A`anin who have work permits cross to their land in the seamline zone.  When we arrived the checkpoint was empty and quiet.  There was only an army car and the soldiers in it were in no hurry to open the checkpoint.   When I passed through the first gate an armed soldier jumped out of the car waving his arms and shouting very rudely “get out”.  When I asked him what language he was speaking, he continued to shout “get out, you are not allowed to pass the gate.” and repeated it until he calmed down.” Then he returned to the car.

The soldiers (military policemen) continued to sit in their car for about 15 minutes more then got out to open the checkpoint gates.  This is the IDF as of March 20^th 2019.

07:00 – Tibeh Romeney Checkpoint

Four women and two men were not permitted to cross the checkpoint.  One of the people crossing reported that he did not know them and guessed that they did not have the appropriate permits.  The rest who had permits crossed from one of the two villages that are separated from part of their land.