Anin Checkpoint: The only one passing through the official checkpoint did not arrive today
14:55 - 16:15
Highway 611 - (Harish, Barta’a Checkpoint). We are next to the Palestinian village of Qeiqis (on the U. N. map) that is situated east of the separation fence. Workers return home to the West Bank via the popular breach in the fence. From time-to-time a District Coordination vehicle passes on the roads but crossing via the breach continues. Behind the breach, there is now a pile of large stones that testify to the roadwork (for what objective we don’t know).
On the way to Tura Checkpoint, the road is blocked by a blue, Israeli police car, whose purpose is obviously to catch illegal traffic and raise the system of fines.
15:10 - Tura-Shaked Checkpoint
Residents return from shopping in Jenin, cross the checkpoint by foot and wait for a transportation vehicle. Several taxis cross in two directions and the passage is quick.
A grocery store owner from Daher al Malec brings a lot of items to a donkey for a wedding that will take place in the village. He wants to transfer his goods but made no arrangement, so he is not allowed to pass them on at all. He is helped by other returning residents, who carry cartons of bottles and cans of beverage for him. We also help him take his merchandise to the village in our car.
We didn’t travel to the agricultural checkpoint of Anin because M., a resident of the village, who is an acquaintance, was informed that no one left for work today and that the army doesn’t have to come to open the official checkpoint for him and his tractor. The workers who crossed in the morning, are returning via the breach in the fence anyway.
15:40 - Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint
A few seamstresses and a large group of workers arrive at the checkpoint and pass through the long sleeve
(the enclosed passage to and from the terminal) to the West Bank. The parking lot on the Palestinian side is full, something that attests to the full return to work after the continuous lockdown during the holidays.
One of the workers tells us again that conditions in the mornings are very difficult. Workers at the checkpoint behave towards them in a crude and abrasive manner, concentrate them in crowded inspection rooms (despite the Corona virus), and delay them. The passage continues for an hour. We spoke by phone with Ron (assistant commander of the checkpoint). He heard the claims and promised to check into the problems.