Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan

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Observers: 
Rachel W. (Driver), Hasida S. (Reporting), Gila (Guest) Marcia L., Translation
Jan-22-2017
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Afternoon

15:30 – Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

The elaborate checkpoint is wide open and is rather empty. A young man, who looks like a student, returns home.  A number of women in fancy dress with young girls who carry presents, go out from the checkpoint and it looked like they were headed to some family celebration.  They walk in the direction of a small village next to the checkpoint, Daher el Malec, which is still not connected to electricity, an issue that has been rolling around between authorities for many years.

One car waits for someone, another car passes from here to there. A tractor enters the checkpoint, is the farmer returns from work on his land?

 

Ya’bed-Dotan Checkpoint

Two weeks ago we reported on a long line in this checkpoint.  From a distance we thought then that the occupation soldiers had returned to checking documents, but as we got closer it was clear that the long queue  was created by deep slots in the road that forced the drivers to slow down to prevent damage to their cars.  This disruption in the road was done in reaction to shots fired from one of the cars that passed through the checkpoint. (My grandson, a graduate of a fighting unit, claims that the army doesn’t just seek hard work.  The conclusion:  this is a dangerous place.)  The deep holes are still there and on the dirt road on the side of the concrete obstacle blocks, a small private car has been parked for two weeks.  The soldiers don’t know what and whose car it is.  Two soldiers meet us with astonishment. They don’t know what to make of us and ask to see our identity cards. (Rachel also presented them with our identity tags).  They call the advanced command post and it seems that there, they are not concerned.

Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

 

All the parking lots are completely filled.  In the truck parking lot, a truck with vegetables that passed through the Ya’bed checkpoint when we were there, now waits, it appears, to be inspected tomorrow morning.

We went up to the upper parking lot and there we saw an unending stream of workers who are returning from a day of work in the area, most of them arriving by transportation provided by their Israeli employers. How many employers are building the new city of Harish?

We went down with the stream of workers through the sleeveinfo-icon to the terminal.  The settler’s kiosk is already closed.  The turnstile turns without ceasing. The biometric machines are not in use anymore.  In the past, next to the machines, there would be a crowded long line.  The atmosphere of absurdity continues...

 

15:30 – We decided to return home through the constructed Harish, but on the road from Barta’a junction many workers were walking and on both sides of the road, many cars were parked.  We wonder what was going on there.  Perhaps a demonstration? Perhaps a celebration?  We turned around and traveled home the regular road.