Friendship (with a Palestinian) that has no strings attached
Barta’a Checkpoint 5:55-6:20 a.m.
Little activity is seen where transports usually wait for workers exiting the checkpoint. In the stormy past, this would have signaled a highly crowded morning at the terminal and problems for those entering it. Since the number of Palestinian now permitted to enter Israel has significantly diminished, it now means that people reach the checkpoint at a reasonable hour, and now is even a bit early. At the Palestinian car park the entrance to the terminal flows unhampered. We feel a bit like an outdoors sculpture… standing at the exit with a smile on our lips and glad of every ‘good morning’ greeting sent in our direction. As we were leaving, a young man – Mustafa – approached us and told us that a while ago Sylvia bore the good news that his blacklisting was lifted. However a few days ago the Israel police caught him red-handed in the Israeli town of Harish presently under construction, and he was punished yet again. He is now prevented from entering Israel to seek work. Again he must roll the ‘prevention’ boulder up the mountain… He is nice, speaks Hebrew, is 40 years old, and completely sober about his chances to hear Sylvia phoning him with some good news tomorrow morning…
Agricultural Checkpoint Aneen 6:30-6:50 a.m.
It’s still early but already hot. A few pedestrians and two tractors exited the agricultural checkpoint towards the seamline zone, for work or to seek for work. Among them are adults over 50 who at this age are permitted to cross the checkpoint without documents and even to enter Israel. Those whom we saw here are headed for the town of Umm Al Fahm (inside Israel). At the end of our shift we saw a young man turned back home, and we didn’t know why. In the past we would done everything to find out why.
Agricultural Checkpoint Tayibe-Roumana 7:10 – 7:30 a.m.
Here too we saw few pedestrians and two tractors waiting. Crossing was smooth but one person was turned back.
In Umm Al Fahm we met with a Palestinian from the West Bank whom we had met recently at Barta’a Checkpoint. We used to see him a lot and speak with him often and he always impressed us as a very easygoing and pleasant man, polite, sensitive and warm. He is a contractor who is now building a large and complicated residence in Umm Al Fahm. We sat down to a modest breakfast together and had a friendly conversation about life, reality and everything in between.
If and when my grandchildren ever ask me what I did during the Israeli occupation I could confess that I made some dear Palestinian friends about whom I had previously known nothing, nor they about me…
'Anin checkpoint (214)
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'Anin checkpoint (214)
'Anin checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence east of the Israeli community Mei Ami and close to the village of Anin in the West Bank. It is opened twice a week, morning and afternoon, on days with shorter light time, for Anin farmers whose olive groves have been separated from the village by the fence it became difficult to cultivate their land. Transit permits are only issued to those who can produce ownership documents for their caged-in land, and sometimes only to the head of the family or his widow, eldest son, and children. Sometimes the inheritors lose their right to tend to the family’s land. The permits are eked out and are re-issued only with difficulty. 55-year-old persons may cross the checkpoint (into Israel) without special permits. During the olive harvest season (about one month around October) the checkpoint is open daily and more transit permits are issued. Names of persons eligible to cross are held in the soldiers’ computers. In July 2007, a sweeping instruction was issued, stating that whoever does not return to the village through this checkpoint in the afternoon will be stripped of his transit permit when he shows up there next time. Since 2019, the checkpoint has not been allways locked with the seam-line zone gate (1 of 3 gates), and the fence around it has been broken in several sites.
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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).
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Tayba-Rummana
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Tayba-Rummana is an agricultural checkpoint. It is located in the separation fence in front of the eastern slopes of the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm. The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rummana. Dozens of dunams of olive groves were removed from their owners, the residents of these villages on the western side of the separation fence. The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rumna. Dozens of olives dunams were removed from these villages' residents and swallowed up in a narrow strip of space, on the western side of the separation fence. The checkpoint allows the plantation owners who have permits to pass. Twice a week, the checkpoint opens for fifteen minutes in the morning and evening. During the harvest season, it opens every day for fifteen minutes in the morning (around 0630) and fifteen minutes in the afternoon (around 1530). (February 2020).
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