Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked
15:35 - Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint
We arrived at Barta’a Checkpoint a little after 15:30; it is extremely crowded on the Palestinian side. In the parking lot, everyone is blocking everybody else. There is an atmosphere of a suk filled with people; there are counters for coffee and baklava. It could be nice, but for the fact that parking lot is choked and depressing. It seems that here everyone is prohibited by the General Security Services or the police. Everyone is asking for help at the same time. I thought it was possible to get used to this, but no . . . “
Apparently construction on the checkpoint is not advancing and the “temporary” condition is hard on the workers at both the entrance and at the exit. In the entire area there is not a bit of shade. Attempts to stretch blankets between the the poles to provide some shade were thwarted by two of the security guards whose names are known to us. According to what Alia wrote, we experienced a flood of requests to have prohibitions removed, like the one to prohibit covers that provide shade. There is a feeling of deliberate heavy-handedness. Even the Deputy Director of this checkpoint who, by the way, has a tendency to help, listens as if he doesn’t intend to ease the situation of the shade.
16:45 – Tura-Shaked Checkpoint
We observed for about 10 minutes at this quiet checkpoint. We didn’t meet any people on foot, only 4 cars that passed through quickly after the checker, who was busy in conversation with a soldier in the observation tower, found some time for them.
16:55 – Al Ra’adiya (the official name of Hirbat Ra’adiya)
Following a visit to Daher el-Malek, a village that was connected to electricity on August 8, we formed a relationship with A.M., a resident of this tiny village on the Seamline Zone, 500 meters from Daher el-Malek. The village includes 10 families, who live in 8 homes. It is not recognized and not connected to electricity. A.M. speaks fluent Hebrew and holds documents attesting to his attempts to get the village connected to electricity. He asked for our help “as an organization that exemplifies human rights.” He gave us copies of two of his documents. We sat together for about an hour in order to form a strategy on what to do and to whom to turn. We will try to do something with his suggestions. If anyone has an idea, we would be happy to hear it.
In the lovely courtyard of J., A.M.’s brother, wee met another member of the family, Nafah Kaba’a, from Ein el Sela, a Hebrew teacher in an Arab school, who referred us to the texts that he had witten on the Website estaba:"
Https://sites.google.com/a/etz.tzafonet.org.il/etstaba/ktevatseratet
On the third line from the bottom, the text, whose title is “The Strong and the Weak”, describes the difficult experience Nafa had at Shaked (Tura) in 2007.