Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked

Place:

Barta'a-Reihan

Tura-Shaked

Tags:

Seam Zone

Northern checkpoints

Observers:

Tami R. (Photographer), Hannah H. (reporting) Marcia L., translation

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Jun-25-2020

Afternoon

Barta'a checkpoint: The work of extending the sleeve (transit route) from the parking lot to the terminal will soon end

Photo:

Tami Ritov

Barta'a Checkpoint, annexation is here: A new point for downloading and gathering Palestinians on their way to and from Israel?

Photo:

Tami Ritov

15:30 – Tura Checkpoint

The checkpoint is quiet and the soldiers are bored. Three cars with passengers cross to the West Bank uneventfully. Two families return in a vehicle from shopping in the large city of Jenin and pass through immediately; most of the people are wearing masks. For now, they are not continuing with the electrical work at the checkpoint; however, construction at the settlement of Shaked, next to the checkpoint, is advancing vigorously. We spoke with one of those returning from Jenin, who told us that the checkpoint was returning to its previous condition (before the coronavirus), but we did not meet any people returning to the West Bank from work in the Seamline Zone.

Barta’a Checkpoint, the Seamline Zone side

Groups of workers return home to the West Bank from work in Israel and the Seamline Zone. The kiosk in the sleeve info-icon ( the enclosed passage to and from the terminal) was functioning again, and the returning workers were carrying supplies of fresh rugelach for the Sabbath. (The sleeve is the enclosed passage to and from the terminal.) Families with children pass through in both directions.

There are rumors that as of next Sunday, workers who pass through to work in Israel will not be allowed to return for three weeks. It is not clear which side directed this—Israel or the Palestinian Authority. The civilian security guard who works at the checkpoint had heard about this, but he admitted that sometimes they are the last to receive the notices.

The building of the addition to the sleeve (another 100 meters) is almost complete. The guard said that the older people would be able to pass through the vehicle checkpoint, where they can avoid the long trek through the sleeve.

The new sleeve is already covered and it reaches the shed at the corner of the lot. In the future, for reasons of security, pick up and drop off of passengers will be there only. The annexation is crawling along and it appears this will be an entry point of the new border. In the meantime, it is possible to enter the side door of the previous place.

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).