15:10 – 17:00

Tura-Shaked Checkpoint – 15:10

The first impression: clear light, light winds and perfect view stop at the barbed wire fence, with dirt that is spread out on the sides of the road and a garbage bin that rises on its banks. Vehicles pass in two directions without delay.  Men, women with children cross the checkpoint by foot and wait for transportation.  No one complains.  A soldier comes and adds another sack of garbage to the bin.  We ask again why it isn’t clean, who is responsible?  The soldier stops and responds and asks us why we are here.  A discussion opens.  We tell him about the village opposite us without electricity.  The soldier admits his responsibility and the importance of the conduct of the soldiers towards the Palestinians.  He reads from the letter of the Chief of Staff that emphasizes the importance of the adherence to the concept of purity of the weapon and in connection with the logical relationship toward the Palestinians.  It looks to us that he understands the condition and his job.

Next to us a van stops and the driver complains about injustice and that his permit was taken away from him without an explanation.  Now he is not able to transport people from the West Bank to the Seamline Zone and back, and without any choice, he transports people just from the checkpoint to the Seamline Zone.  One man says that he finally received his permit from the West Bank to the Seamline Zone, something that allows him to work in the olive groves, next to the settlement of Shaked.  The man is satisfied.

Barta’a-Reihan – 16:00

At the entrance to the sleeve we are surprised to discover that the settler’s small kiosk (buffet) that began with the banishment of the Palestinian coffee seller from the parking lot, broadened and improved.  They moved the fence opposite in order to make it possible to place a stone bench, table and a machine for cold drinks.  A real café at prices of Cofix.  Everything is OK!

A trail of people, many young people and also young women (this looks new to me) hurry in the direction of the turnstile, on their way home, a long way yet ahead of them.  Only two computerized inspection stations are working and because most of those returning don’t need to be inspected, there isn’t a long line ahead of them.  They report that in the morning, the condition is better.  One man requests help with renewing his license – according to him he is allowed to request a permit only two weeks before its expiration but the process of renewing takes two months.  A problem.

There are continuing streams of people.

We go down to the Palestinian parking lot in order to get an impression of the parking; Aliya reports that the lot is more orderly.  Indeed, we see that there has been an attempt to arrange the cars to make it possible for an orderly entrance and exit.  But now the small lot more than contains the number of cars that arrive and return workers and the order all but disappears.  It is also loaded on the sides of the road to the bridge.

We return and leave at 17:00.