Ras 'Atiya

Translator:  Charles K.

One of the participants on “A Star is Born” this season is a settler from Tzufim.  Just “Tzufim.”  Yesterday participants were each asked to sing a song recalling a childhood memory.  As she explained the reason she chose her song she was filmed at a bird-watching station from which you could see into the distance; the red-roofed buildings of Tzufim peeking from one edge of the frame.  She gazes west, but from the bird-watching station where she stands she can’t see the town of Qalqiliya surrounded by a wall, the villages of Jayyus, Nabi Elias and others whose lands were stolen for the benefit of the settlements in the area.  Nor do the directors, hosts and judges of the show with the largest viewing audience understand how they legitimize the occupation when they write just “Tzufim.”  Apparently the overflow audience in the studio and those sitting in front of the TV at home don’t know, or don’t think about the de facto annexation of an area located beyond the familiar, sovereign borders of the state of Israel.

We saw facts being created on the ground at every settlement below which we drove (“below” – of course.  That’s the strategy) – construction whose momentum doesn’t cease, the lofty cranes, the buildings spreading from the hilltops down the hillsides, already touching the Palestinian villages below.

And therefore our shift today raises a question about the political solution of dividing the land.

The land has been carved up by checkpoints which, according to the wishes of politicians/the military prevent/control/determine the movement of Palestinians.  So we saw:

06:50 – Habla.  About 15 people wait on the Habla side for the checkpoint to open.

06:58 –A driver and cart cross to Habla.

07:04 –A “quintet” of Palestinians is inspected and exits toward the plant nurseries.

07:06 –The second “quintet” exits.

07:08 –Women exit.

A young man seated between the fences is told by a soldier to remove his shoes.

More and more people, and also horse carts, join those waiting.

There’s shoving among the people waiting on the Habla side.

Those wearing belts are told to remove them during the inspection.

A woman who isn’t young waits to enter Habla.  She came out earlier; now she’s carrying a large bundle of mallows on her head.

07:43 –People arrive bit by bit from Habla.

A young man exiting the inspection building says: “They’re [the soldiers] stuck-up.”  We asked what he meant.  “I say: ‘Open the door;’ She says: ‘You’re not my boss;’ I say: ‘Open it so we can go out.’

07:48 –We left.

07:58 –Eliyahu crossing checkpoint – Three people are waiting in the shed.

We continued our circuit of the checkpoints:

We saw where the Ras A-Tiya checkpoint had once stood; today there’s no sign of it.  But the military “security road” located on the village’s land is blocked by a gate.

Azzun Atma’s northern gate #1459 is manned by soldiers.  Cars exiting aren’t inspected; no cars were entering at this hour.  We entered the village and drove to Azzun Atma’s  southern checkpoint.  No one waited to leave the village.  There are remnants of a checkpoint at QarawatBani-Hassan(near Biddya) – from which we learn that the occupation is still present.  We continued to the Za’tara/Tapuach checkpoint.  No inspections here either, although there were Border Police soldiers in the parking area.  Cars go through the Huwwara checkpointwithout delays; a soldier peeked at us from the guard tower overlooking the plaza.

Throughout our circuit we saw, as we said, how the phrase “We’ll dress you in garments of concrete and cement”… is being applied, as you can see in the following photos, taken opposite the settlements of Sha’arei Tiqwa/Etz Efrayim.

Translator:  Charles K.

Waiting for God and the third intifada

13:00 - Habla

Palestinian women prostitutes in Israel???

A Palestinian man (who seemed to have been speaking for a long time; we arrived late):  …The day will come when they’ll be trampled underfoot.  You’ll see.  What kind of world is this? – I need permission to access my own land?!

“Now the Jew is in charge.  Not forever.  The soldiers are Satan’s emissaries.  They’re the emissaries of Satan in the world.  There will be an explosion in Nablus.  In Qalqilya.  There will be explosions everywhere.  People here have no food.  People have gone through and haven’t returned.  Women have gone through and haven’t returned.”  Seeing our uncomprehending expression, he explains:  “Women crossed to Israeland became prostitutes.  The time will come when they won’t be silent.  A woman who leaves her children – who’ll feed them if she gets sick?  They’ll learn to steal.  To do bad things.  You’re forcing us into it.  The Jews should… [curses], the Arabs should also… [different curse].  God won’t help us because we don’t heed him.  I read the Koran – the Moslems once ruled.  When we heeded God.  God asks the same things from Moslems, from Jews and from Christians as well.  Read the Koran.  No one helps us.  Only God will help when we heed him.  People in Africahave no water.  I still do.  The poor, wretched Africans.”

 13:10  The school bus returns.

Our friend prefers a jumpy Natan Zehavi and Carmela Menashe.

A Ramin, the Bedouin village which exists only so its inhabitants can be harassed and its buildings demolished.

We brought clothing for families whose buildings had been demolished.  “At 11 last night, while we slept, soldiers came and woke us, asked for our documents.  We must complain to the higher-ups.  UNRWA and the Red Cross provided tents and food for the children.  A week ago, someone from the Civil Administration at Beit Al Amar: Next month I’m issuing you a demolition order.  The tent is also illegal.  They don’t let us live.  We work in Alfei Menashe.  NIS250 per day, as gardeners, in construction.  The family moved here in 1960 from Beersheba.  The sheep had no grass.  Now there are few sheep, no grazing land.”  He doesn’t listen to Arab radio stations.  But he listens faithfully to Natan Zehavi and Carmela Menashe.  “That Carmela – someone whose head is clogged, she’ll talk it open.  Maybe you have Channel 10’s phone number.  Maybe they’ll help if something happens.”

“Once I thought: Jews and Arabs – brothers until death.  Today – if only there would be an intifada.”

15:10 – Ras Atiya

[A resident of Azzun described in detail the shortest route to Ras Atiya.  How astonished he was to learn we’re not allowed to enter Habla.  His expression said:  I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous.]

A new acquaintance, a resident of Ras Atiya, tells us we’ve come at a difficult time.  An elderly man has been killed.  They’re afraid more people will be killed.  [The background – a blood feud; no one know how it will end].  The Palestinian police can’t do their job and protect people’s lives because their mobility is restricted by the occupying army.

The army enters the village from time to time and prevents people from accessing their lands.  They sometimes come at two in the morning, at three.  They sound an alarm.  The soldiers’ faces are painted black.  If they catch someone, he could be detained for three hours.

The village has 1900 inhabitants.  Hundreds applied for permits during the olive harvest, but only 25(!) were granted.  Children also need a permit.  There’s no alternative – some abandon the crop, others pay half the crop to those who have permits.  The permits are granted arbitrarily.  Some get a permit for three months, others for a year, “depending on how they feel, how it was in bed with the wife.”  Landowners can’t carry out other agricultural activities because of a lack of a supportive economic infrastructure.  No one will compensate them for damages caused by weather (unlike in proper countries).  So someone who erects a greenhouse that’s carried off by the wind has lost everything.  He hasn’t yet even repaid his NIS12,000 loan.  Some have abandoned farming because of the miniscule return – NIS5 for a crate of tomatoes.

People say the magnetic cards are phony.  They’re only for the occupier’s benefit, so they can get a current photo and fingerprint.  Renewing a magnetic card costs NIS120.  The scanners are carcinogenic.

The most obvious fact is how many locals have been blacklisted by the Shabak.  That outrages and astonishes people we speak to because not even one stone was thrown here.  There’s no way to find out why someone was blacklisted.  The four people we spoke to have all been blacklisted.  Lawyers charge them very high fees, promise nothing and do nothing.  Who can afford to throw NIS32,000 to the winds?  Sometimes it turns out that the police have nothing against someone, but that’s not the case with the Shabak.  And, as you know, the Shabak doesn’t have to account to anyone.  The usual response:  “You’re blacklisted for 99 years.”  There are many collaborators in the village (and elsewhere as well).  Someone who refuses to collaborate can expect to be blacklisted permanently.

One man says:  “I worked in Israeluntil 2000.  I was a contractor.  Life was good.  I worked during the day and enjoyed myself at night.  I loved the Tel Aviv promenade.  I loved Jews so much I wanted to convert.  I once said, ‘We’re brothers unto death.’  Today – they can…[curses]. I hope an intifada will erupt.  I’m already 30, and still haven’t done anything with my life.  Go to sleep and wake up, go to sleep and wake up - that’s a life?  That’s no life.  The collaborator turned my life black.  I’d kill that informer if I knew who he was.  The whole problem is when you’re not a collaborator.  The terror is your fault.  When there’s nothing to eat, why are you surprised that someone will blow themselves up so their family receives $100,000.  You don’t want security.  In my heart I say:  ‘Lord, bring back the intifada.’”

Our interlocutor refuses to return with us via the absurd route we took.  He insists on taking us a faster way.  No one stopped us.  As he promised.

.

 There is a conspicuous contrast between our report and those coming from Awarta.  We didn't go with the idea that it is important to continue and show our presence in other places as well.  And also since we don't have any Arabic speakers and we thought that it would not be useful to go there  not knowing  to whom to turn, or whether or not it would be possible to enter the village.  It seems to me that the ordinary occupation situation is shocking and upsetting even if nothing special happens, like what is happening in Awarta.

06:48  Habla. The first group is coming out only now.  They complain that the gate was opened quite late.  The inspections are fast and, within 3 minutes, the next group is already coming out and the one after this, after 2 minutes.  The vehicles gate is closed and the Palestinians exit through the small gate. The guard from the nursery arrives and waits until they see him, and then goes through quickly.  He says that one week ago there were "bad" soldiers who detained people, halted the inspection and took a lot of time.  According to him, there were no women from MachsomWatch there that morning.

07:10  The buses arrive, the drivers' documents are checked, they have to open the luggage compartments for inspection and a soldier enters each bus for inspection.  The buses go out after 6 minutes.  They open and close the gate each time, though everything is done very efficiently and quickly this morning.  Nevertheless, one of the youths says that they are asking a lot of questions and that delays things.

0 7:30  We leave, even though there are at least another 25 people in line and also a large truck with pottery that has come from Qalqilya to the nursery.  At the exit a shepherd stops us and requests  that we try to get the gate to open at 06:00 (which is what was written on the document which Tadesa  gave us) and not at 06:30.  Since a new member is traveling with us, we enter the road that leads to Ras Atira and show her the locked gate and explain the history of the area.  At the exit, we see a large sign announcing "Here Alphei  Menashe is being built".

07:45  Eliyahu Gate. We didn't stop, but we saw that there were about 20 people waiting. We traveled via 'Azzun to Jayyus.  The opening time remains 05:45-06:45, so we didn't go to that gate but rather continued to the Falamya  gate.  On the improved road to Tulkarm there is a detour, through some olive groves and the village of Falamya and then back to the Tulkarm road.

08:00  Agricultural gate, Falamya.  2 tractors, a horse and wagon wait in front of the gate;  after checking of documents, they pass through.  A Palestinian arrives in a car and, in the luggage compartment there is a bicycle.  He tries to go through in the car but it turns out that the permit is for the bicycle and not for the car, so he has to leave the car and ride the bike.

08:20 We leave.  Travel by way of Nofim and the flowers are amazing. We pass through the villages, stop to buy vegetables and talk with the grocer about the situation and then continue through Fundak toward the J'at junction.  On the way, we didn't see any military vehicle at the entrance to the villages or the settlements, also at J'at there was no roadblock or police.  We turned off toward Dir Sharaf, stopping at a grocery/bakery.  The store owner said that there was serious unemployment and the PA can't deal with the problem as there is no industry and it isn't even possible to make a living from agriculture today.  He has a solution:  if Israel were to stop importing foreign labor for agriculture and building, and allow Palestinians to work in Israel, there would be quiet in the territories because "someone who is working and making a living doesn't want to lose his living".  He asked us to write about this in the papers and make known the unemployment problem which is causing agitation. We went up to road #60 to show the wall of Shavei  Shomron and, to our surprise, there was a flying checkpoint.  A truck was stopped for inspection, but the others were allowed through and they also didn't stop us, but just waved us through.  We were tempted to move on, but we stopped there... On the way back, we saw the new hill next to Kedumim; an altogether new building.

 10:15 Shvut Ami is abandoned.

10:30 By way of Eliyahu, in spite of the flags, they didn't check us and we continued toward home.

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16:00 Eyal Passage

We pass the turnstile and position ourselves opposite the entrance to the building. Shay, the shift director, pounces at us and asks us to leave the military zone. Riva explains that she has never been asked to leave. He summons the Passages director Shimon Levi who is prepared to talk to us only beyond the turnstile. Riva explains that as member of a human rights organisation , the interface between the Palestinians who pass the CP and the Israeli office holders is important to us. After we leave Shimon tells us in a calmer voice that about 4000 people pass the CP every morning at utmost speed, that they continually  make all efforts to improve the conditions, that they have added devices such as a shed, toilets, cold water facilities and more. Riva contacts Wohl, the passage officer at the DCO to find out which observation post we are entitled to. Only after we leave he returns her call. He suggest we contact the passage administration.

16:20 Tzofin

We turn in the direction of Tzofin. On the way to Kilkilya and Sha'ar Eliyahu. At the entrance to Kilkilya there are no obstructions on entering and leaving the town.

16:30  The Eliyahu Passage

The passage is free and the traffic flows.

16:40 We move onto the Alfey Menashe Road in order to observe the road and the system fences which confine Ras Atiya and Ras Atira and guard the Alfey Menashe settlers, who are returning to their homes at this hour, from any harm. As usual the passage is tightly closed and the sight still is a shocking one.

16:45 Habla

The gate is shut. There are less than 10 people waiting. We visit the plant nursery and return.

17:00 The gate is open but there is no passage because they wait for the military- policewoman. The soldier at the gate tells us that the vehicle that is supposed to bring her has had some failure (had we known it we would have offered her a hike from Sha'ar Eliyahu…and thus contributed to the war effort). About 10 Palestinian are waiting in the shade behind the yellow shed which has been put up at second thought…with it open side directed to the West, while the sun is beating down. 

17:07 There still is no passage. A Palestinian tells us that the delays are a routine. He asks how it is that in the whole Israeli Defence Force there isn't another car available to transport her…Riva calls the DCO. They say they'll investigate the matter at the battalion. In the meantime about 30 people have gathered, all are gathered behind the shed in search of shade, and the shed itself is empty.

 The head of the Council of Ras Atiya who is waiting tells us that he and his family have lands, but his son doesn't get a passage permit and he cannot work the fields. On the other hand, his other son, who is a doctor at Beit Lehem, did received the permit… He says he has talked to Micky Fisher and also that a lawyer had tried to deal with the matter without success. Does anybody have an idea???

17:20 The sergeant takes a decision to check the papers manually and to write their numbers down. He askes us for paper to do that!!! I gladly volunteer paper and compliment him on his resourcefulness. If one has goodwill one is able to facilitate the process and indeed the passage back to the village begins but very slowly. The Palestinians pass quietly and in order. In the meantime two vehicle owners and a driver of a donkey cart get the permission to leave HaBLA but have to deposit their papers with a soldier. Riva calls the DCO and reports on what has happened.

17:35 A military vehicle arrives and a military policewoman jumps out of it. She struggles with the checking post key and enters.

17:45 The checking post is still closed and the registration is done manually. Most of the people have passed and we leave, hurrying to a meeting at Nina's. 
 

Translator:  Charles K.

15:25  On the way to Funduq we glanced at the Habla agricultural gate.  No one was waiting.

15:33  Eliyahu crossing/Gate 109

From the car we saw about five Palestinians, apparently a family, next to the inspection facility.  Some seem to have already been checked.

15:55  Funduq

We came here to deliver entry permits to Israel to the five participants from Funduq in the film, “Area C,” to be shown tomorrow.  We were delayed somewhat coordinating, because for some reason one of the five permits hadn’t arrived.  Together with the willing DCO representative, he’ll receive the permit at the Qalqilya DCO this evening.  God willing.

16:40  Eliyahu crossing/Gate 109

Right next to us at the crossing stood a Palestinian couple and a soldier speaking on a walkie-talkie, apparently about them.  We didn’t think it appropriate to intervene.

16:45  Another glance, this time at the security road with its many fences on the way to Ras Atiya and Ras Atira.  In addition to the forbidding fence alongside the road, a fence of concertina wire has been added 10-20 meters north of it, robbing more of the area’s pasture and land.  A violent act against the locality, not to mention its effects on the inhabitants of the village imprisoned within.

16:50  Habla agricultural gate

The new canopy where people wait is empty and burning in the sun.  About 30 people sought shade on the ground behind it, particularly behind the well-house.  Today, for some reason, the soldiers preferred that people cross one by one, and not in fives…an arbitrary decision, as was the decision to refuse entry to a Palestinian resident of Habla through the agricultural gate because his permit specifies entry via 109.  I spoke with the DCO representative, who promised to talk to the commander, but the man, annoyed, had already.

17:40  Eyal crossing

A fair number of people went through, but without any noticeable problems.

Summary
For the first time in weeks, the Gaza flotilla is no longer top news around the world. But Israel's action against the flotilla lit up, if only for a moment, the darkness in which we live on a day to day basis and a darkness under which we continue our activism against the Occupation. The scene illuminated during the flotilla "incident" is certainly dismal. But we know that already, and have no other solution but to continue to shed light on what we can. In fact, other than the checkpoints, the most powerful tool of the Occupation is the much less visible bureaucracy of Occupation, carried out in the recesses of the DCO offices and designed to harass and humiliate. About that, we were enlightened today.

Routes 55 and 60
It seems as if the settlers' world is holding its breath until September 2010 when the so-called freeze on building in the settlements is lifted. Meanwhile, the outpost building at Shvut Ami is painted blue, maybe even with some white clouds on it, and the road being repaved toward Jenin, on route 60, is closed, closed. We wonder whether U.S. Aid, which is actually helping Palestinians, is being hindered by the IDF!  We, of course, are told, non verbally, to turn round, from the checkpoint at Shavei Shomron.

Deir Sharaf
There we learn that checkpoints are alive and well, if only for short and temporary period. Assira, outside Nablus was closed for a couple of hours recently, by a "rolling" checkpoint - not features of the past.

12:45 Anabta
The tower lookout window is open, and below, there are three soldiers at the checkpoint, not checking traffic, but slowing it down. That, in itself, is an unusual sight. Soon after our observations start, the three soldiers move away, and traffic flows much more smoothly.

13: 25 Irtah
A man is wandering near the Separation Barrier, outside the compound, and an armed guard, of the private company variety, is "shouting" to the man, but non verbally, meaning with his arms, to stop. Neither individual approaches the other. The man puts his bag down on the ground. Clearly, not a photographer's bag, and clearly not a dangerous bag. He shows his ID to the guard.

The compound by Irtah is empty, cars and a bus parked outside, the kiosk and its incongruous chairs and table, closed.

Few workers returning home. But a family, with several small children, returns and goes inside the building.

13:30 Habla
We learn, first, that the DCO is issuing far less permits and making far more trouble. The nursery man's brother can only stay, on his own lands, until 19:00 each day, not until 22:00. His father, who is a landowner, who once had a two year permit to "visit" his own fields, now, has a six month permit. We are told, "There are always new stories." Indeed: the nursery owner's own permit was "mistakenly" issued by a soldier whose only interest was in going home. He told the nursery man to "come back in two days."

The DCO offices, which we cannot visit, on the northern side of Qalqiliya, are a disgrace. As at Irtah, armed guards patrol above the heads of the Palestinians. What is new is that Palestinians are being seen in smaller and smaller rooms, men and women together - a no no in Muslim culture.

We must ask the Ecumenical Accompaniers to go there, since we can't.

13:45 Habla Gate
It's not open, as it should be, and a young man tells us, "Usually it's 2:00, they come when they want to..." Not the kind of situation that existed a few months ago when the gate would open at the time that was communicated to Palestinians and to us.

13: 55 -- this time, two soldiers appear from a Hummer which screeches its way to the gates and then speeds off, no -- screeches off -- in the same way. The two soldiers have no idea, so they tell us, when the gate should open. "Only the commander knows," and he's nowhere in sight. The two soldiers struggle to open the gates, first one then the other, on the far side of the Separation Barrier, opening them with difficulty and with a great lack of speed. Meanwhile, they have no permission to open the gate on the side where we stand, along with half a dozen Palestinians, a donkey cart, a truck and a tractor, and we wait....

14:10 -- the same Hummer, the same feckless woman driver, anxious to show her prowess at the wheel, makes the Hummer do a pirouette, before coming to a standstill by the Habla gate(s), disgorging from its bowels the commander and a number of other soldiers, including a military policeman who unlocks and enters the concrete checking booth.  

The Hummer driver and another soldier now beckon the waiting Palestinians, checking each ID and its matching permit closely. One soldier takes a pile of green IDs and permits and scrutinizes them closely.

14:15 -- nine people wait, plus an assortment of four wheeled vehicles. Every two minutes, the numbers increase, from nine to twelve to fifteen.

14:20 -- a woman we've met at Ras Atiya greets us, invites us to her home (if only), and says that now the access to Ras Atiya is much more difficult for her, since the old Separation Barrier checkpoint is closed. She has to take a taxi now from Habla.

And now, a bunch of sheep and goats wait on the far side as the human "beneficiaries" of the Occupier's checking and permit system dwindle to nil. 

Summary
For the first time in weeks, the Gaza flotilla is no longer top news around the world. But Israel's action against the flotilla lit up, if only for a moment, the darkness in which we live on a day to day basis and a darkness under which we continue our activism against the Occupation. The scene illuminated during the flotilla "incident" is certainly dismal. But we know that already, and have no other solution but to continue to shed light on what we can. In fact, other than the checkpoints, the most powerful tool of the Occupation is the much less visible bureaucracy of Occupation, carried out in the recesses of the DCO offices and designed to harass and humiliate. About that, we were enlightened today.

Routes 55 and 60
It seems as if the settlers' world is holding its breath until September 2010 when the so-called freeze on building in the settlements is lifted. Meanwhile, the outpost building at Shvut Ami is painted blue, maybe even with some white clouds on it, and the road being repaved toward Jenin, on route 60, is closed, closed. We wonder whether U.S. Aid, which is actually helping Palestinians, is being hindered by the IDF!  We, of course, are told, non verbally, to turn round, from the checkpoint at Shavei Shomron.

Deir Sharaf
There we learn that checkpoints are alive and well, if only for short and temporary period. Assira, outside Nablus was closed for a couple of hours recently, by a "rolling" checkpoint - not features of the past.

12:45 Anabta
The tower lookout window is open, and below, there are three soldiers at the checkpoint, not checking traffic, but slowing it down. That, in itself, is an unusual sight. Soon after our observations start, the three soldiers move away, and traffic flows much more smoothly.

13: 25 Irtah
A man is wandering near the Separation Barrier, outside the compound, and an armed guard, of the private company variety, is "shouting" to the man, but non verbally, meaning with his arms, to stop. Neither individual approaches the other. The man puts his bag down on the ground. Clearly, not a photographer's bag, and clearly not a dangerous bag. He shows his ID to the guard.

The compound by Irtah is empty, cars and a bus parked outside, the kiosk and its incongruous chairs and table, closed.

Few workers returning home. But a family, with several small children, returns and goes inside the building.

13:30 Habla
We learn, first, that the DCO is issuing far less permits and making far more trouble. The nursery man's brother can only stay, on his own lands, until 19:00 each day, not until 22:00. His father, who is a landowner, who once had a two year permit to "visit" his own fields, now, has a six month permit. We are told, "There are always new stories." Indeed: the nursery owner's own permit was "mistakenly" issued by a soldier whose only interest was in going home. He told the nursery man to "come back in two days."

The DCO offices, which we cannot visit, on the northern side of Qalqiliya, are a disgrace. As at Irtah, armed guards patrol above the heads of the Palestinians. What is new is that Palestinians are being seen in smaller and smaller rooms, men and women together - a no no in Muslim culture.

We must ask the Ecumenical Accompaniers to go there, since we can't.

13:45 Habla Gate
It's not open, as it should be, and a young man tells us, "Usually it's 2:00, they come when they want to..." Not the kind of situation that existed a few months ago when the gate would open at the time that was communicated to Palestinians and to us.

13: 55 -- this time, two soldiers appear from a Hummer which screeches its way to the gates and then speeds off, no -- screeches off -- in the same way. The two soldiers have no idea, so they tell us, when the gate should open. "Only the commander knows," and he's nowhere in sight. The two soldiers struggle to open the gates, first one then the other, on the far side of the Separation Barrier, opening them with difficulty and with a great lack of speed. Meanwhile, they have no permission to open the gate on the side where we stand, along with half a dozen Palestinians, a donkey cart, a truck and a tractor, and we wait....

14:10 -- the same Hummer, the same feckless woman driver, anxious to show her prowess at the wheel, makes the Hummer do a pirouette, before coming to a standstill by the Habla gate(s), disgorging from its bowels the commander and a number of other soldiers, including a military policeman who unlocks and enters the concrete checking booth.  

The Hummer driver and another soldier now beckon the waiting Palestinians, checking each ID and its matching permit closely. One soldier takes a pile of green IDs and permits and scrutinizes them closely.

14:15 -- nine people wait, plus an assortment of four wheeled vehicles. Every two minutes, the numbers increase, from nine to twelve to fifteen.

14:20 -- a woman we've met at Ras Atiya greets us, invites us to her home (if only), and says that now the access to Ras Atiya is much more difficult for her, since the old Separation Barrier checkpoint is closed. She has to take a taxi now from Habla.

And now, a bunch of sheep and goats wait on the far side as the human "beneficiaries" of the Occupier's checking and permit system dwindle to nil.  

On the road, between Azzun and Nabi Elias, by the gas station, a "flying barrier" had been put in place. There was a jeep, a sign and two soldiers. A car had been stopped for checking. For what and for whom we had no idea.

At the sign to Alfe Menashe we turned toward the settlement. Of course there were no signs that this road led to Ras A-Tira or Ras Atiya. At the end of the road we found a normal-sized metal gate locked, but it was standing all alone; there was nothing on either side of the gate to stop someone from going around it. But beyond the gate was the security road and on the other side of the road was a huge yellow electronic gate in the separation barrier, also locked. There was no one around, not soldiers and not Palestinians.

17:05  Habla
The gates are both open and two soldiers are allowing the workers to go through in groups of five.
The gates are open and manned between the hours of 16:45 and 18:00. One Palestinian worker holds the stack of ID cards which had been collected from the workers at the Eliyahu checkpoint and hands them out to the others as they go through the gate to Habla, 5 at a time.

Going back to Kfar Saba on the main road we see the long, solid line of cars of the settlers going home.

Guest: Svetlana K., Maria K.

11:45 Gate 1392, Habla Agricultural Gate
We arrive to find the gate
closed, waited awhile, but still no one arrives to open it. We stop
by the nursery to inquire and find out that the army has changed the
hours to accommodate the Bedouin children who return from school on
the bus only at 12:30.

11:45 Ras Atiya
We drive
to Ras Atiya, but find the new barrier completed and completely
closed. No on can pass. Down the security road we see two soldiers
sitting and trucks coming out and traveling up the road.

15:00
Anabta
Vehicles lined up from both sides, moving slowly, a
back up of about 7 vehicles at both sides.

15:15 Sha'ar Efraim
A constant flow of people returning home, but no
lines or waiting, although only 2 booths are open, several
Palestinians tell us we should have been there in the morning.

11:45 Gate 1392 Habla Agricultural Gate

We arrive and find the gate closed, waited but still no one arrives to open it. We stop by the nursery to inquire and find out that the army has changed the hours to accommodate the Bedouin children returning home from school with the bus only at 12:30.

11:45 Ras Atiya
We drive to Ras Atiya, but find the new barrier completed and completely closed.
No one can pass. Down the security road we see two soldiers sitting and trucks coming out and traveling up the road.

15:00 Anabta
Vehicles lined up from both sides, moving slowly, a back up of about 7 vehicles at both sides.

15:15 Sha'ar Efraim
A constant flow of people returning home, but no lines or waiting, although only 2 booths are open, several Palestinians tell us we should have been there in the morning.

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