A Friendly Reception at Reihan - Barta’a Checkpoint

Place:

Barta'a-Reihan

Tura-Shaked

Ya'bed-Dotan

Tags:

Northern checkpoints

Seam Zone

Slow passage

Observers:

Tami Rituv, (photos), Neta Golan (Photos, Reporting) Translation: Bracha Ben-Avraham

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Aug-22-2019

Afternoon

22.08 – Barta’a Checkpoint - We received a friendly reception from a toy monkey on the windshield of one of the cars.

Photo:

Tami Ritov

22.08.2019 – The new restrooms at Reihan - Barta’a Checkpoint, not yet in use

Photo:

Neta Golan

15:40 – Tura – Shaked Checkpoint

A driver crossed the checkpoint, complaining that he had waited for an hour to cross. A woman was waiting under the shed with her son and daughter. The father of the family crossed in his car and claimed he had waited for a half hour. Evidently they were exaggerating slightly, but crossing was slow today despite the fact that there were few people. There was still garbage on the ground, and we wonder what will be done about collecting the garbage at this checkpoint.

16:10 – We drove past Reihan – Barta’a Checkpoint and continued east to Yaabed Dotan Checkpoint. The checkpoint was unmanned and only the concrete roadblocks slowed down traffic. On our way back to Reihan – Barta’a Checkpoint we stopped at our friend’s grocery store in Emricha. As usual, she and three of her daughters received us warmly.

16:40 – Reihan – Barta’a Checkpoint, Palestinian Side

A toy monkey on the windshield of one of the car was smiling at us at the entrance to the parking lot. For some reason we received an unusually friendly reception today. A large taxi filled with passengers stopped next to us at the entrance to the checkpoint. People who did not know us read our tags, opened the windows, and greeted us enthusiastically as they motioned at us. A lot of people were coming home from work at this time of day. When the turnstile leading from the terminal to the metal shed closed for a minute a line began to form along the entire length of the sidewalk. Traffic in the parking lot was dangerous. The Palestinian attendants were still on duty and one of them was keeping order near the side entrance to the shed.

There were not many cars at this time of the day. It was a very hot day and some people were sitting in the shade under the shed. There is a new restroom next to the shed with two doors, but it is locked and evidently not yet in use. The old shed with stalls for men and women is still in reasonable condition and there is a drinking fountain nearby.

17:20 – We left the checkpoint and joined a long line of cars driving from the seamline zone to Israel.

Location Description

Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

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This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.

fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)

Mar-22-2022

Ruti Tuval

The locked gate at the Anin checkpoint

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Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).

Ya’abad-Dotan

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This checkpoint is located on road 585, at the crossroads of Mevo Dotan settler-colony / Jenin/ Ya’abad. It has an army watchtower (‘pillbox’ post) and concrete blocs that slow down vehicular traffic. It was erected when Barta’a Checkpoint, lying to the west on the Separation Fence, was privatized and its operation was passed over to civilian security personnel. Since December 2009 this checkpoint enables flow of Palestinian vehicular traffic towards the Barta’a Checkpoint. Seldom is it manned by soldiers sitting in the watchtower, who conduct random inspections of vehicles and passengers. (february 2020)