Yabed-Dotan checkpoint: Police were called to evict us because we were taking pictures

Place:

Barta'a-Reihan

Hermesh

Tura-Shaked

Ya'bed-Dotan

Tags:

Northern checkpoints

Soldiers at checkpoints

Observers:

Marina Banai and Ruti Tuval Translation: Bracha Ben-Avraham

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Sep-26-2023

Morning

Barta'a checkpoint. On the way to work

Photo:

Ruti Tuval

06:10 Barta’a – Reihan Checkpoint

We barely managed to get to the entrance to the checkpoint. There were a lot of cars on both sides of the road that were double and triple-parked. A lot of workers were waiting for their rides. We continued south

06:20 Hermesh Checkpoint

Two soldiers approached us. Later at the Ya'bed Checkpoint we would learn they were from the Golani Brigade. We asked them not to linger because several cars coming from the direction of Kafin were already waiting to cross. One of the soldiers approached the window of our car with his weapon pointed towards us and a new appearance in the I.D.F. – the long fringed garment worn by religious Jews. He asked to see our I.D. cards and called his commander: “Those women in the pink car.” (our car was not pink, but blue) He then told us that his commander had no solution to the problem. Another curiosity for our arsenal...

Yabed-Dotan Checkpoint. Sunrise

Photo:

Ruti Tuval

06:35 Ya'bed – Dotan Checkpoint

We parked our car on a fresh patch of asphalt to the left of the checkpoint and hurried to photograph a wonderful sunrise. Immediately two soldiers came up to us that it was dangerous there and that we were not allowed to take pictures. We showed them that we had only taken a photo of the sunrise. Here, too, they told us to leave or they would call the police. We told them nicely to go back and do their jobs because cars were waiting to cross. We were not upset. People waved to us and we waved back. “See, people know us here.” We learned that they were from the Golani Brigade and asked them if they were not upset at having to work here as soldiers of the occupation. They told us that they had previously been stationed on the Lebanese border. “We don’t want to talk about politics.” “Go bother the settlers, not us.” They escorted us on the drive to Barta’a Checkpoint where they reported us to someone. We finally found the special permit that we had in our phone permitting us to take pictures of the checkpoints without being disturbed. We waited about 15 minutes because they said they had called the police about us and finally they smilingly let us go. We had become a curiosity in their arsenal.

Tura. Schoolgirls on the way to the checkpoint

Photo:

Ruti Tuval

07:30 Tura – Shaked Checkpoint

Schoolgirls were crossing at the checkpoint. We saw them near the door to the inspection room. Cars were crossing from one side to another. Some of them were driven by women carrying young children without adhering to any safety regulations, which was frightening. A car from the border patrol arrived and they asked us whether we needed anything or a cup of coffee perhaps.

Throughout the drive we signed at the sight of the horrible separation wall, but marveled at the lovely numerous squills that were flowering along the way.

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)