Falamiya North Checkpoint (914), Habla Checkpoint (1393)

Falamiya North, CP 914

Opening hours 12:45-13:15

12:45 – We met a villager near the water pump, and wondered whether there is a water shortage. No, at Falamiya there isn’t, but in Jiyus there is a shortage, according to him.

12:50 A jeep arrived to open the gate (which is due to be opened at 12:45)

12:55 the gate was opened. It is a very hot day. During the time we were there a maximum of 15 persons as well as, of course, tractors, passed little by little in both directions. Most of them had pleasant countenances, but one of those who passed first to Falamiya was angry at us: why do we come in this terrible heat and what are we doing here? What is the use of our actions? After all we help nobody. Nina said that we help distributing the information. He went on, furious at us because we weren’t doing anything to change the situation.

Much dry Za’ater passed from the fields to the village.

Habla CP, gate 1393

Opening hours 13:15 – 14:15

13:17 – we arrived, the gate was open. There are few people passing by it, there is absolutely no pressure and nobody lingers after he gets a permit to pass. But notwithstanding this the checking in the building is a bit slow.

A story about a donkey foal and its owner. Its owner is on one side of the fence – the Habla side – and the foal and a cart stand on the other side, 10 meters away. The owner has no papers so he doesn’t get a permit to pass and take the donkey foal. He begs, runs around pleads, implores the soldiers, waves his arms and again and again implores the soldiers but they refuse – after all he has no papers. Then there is a young man who stands near the foal and volunteers to help – to transfer the foal and the cart. The owner of the foal looks tensely and suddenly the foal breaks free off the cart. The volunteer now tries to hold on to the foal only. And now comes the salvation: the owner of the foal shouts and begs that the volunteer pass his own ID card to the soldiers, so that he may reach the foal. A boy who sits to the side passes the card of the helper (as a deposit) to the soldiers and the owner of the foal finally succeeds in crossing the few meters which divide between them. He hatches the foal to the cart and passes them to Habla. The volunteer comes to retrieve his card from the soldiers, enters a car as a hitch hiker and goes away. He did his good deed of the day. All is well.

All in all only a few dozens of people, a few cars, tenders, tractors and one pair of bicyles passed today.