Ras 'Atiya

 Natanya translating.
 

General:
The shift concentrated on areas near the green line and the separation barrier.
It seems that because of the closure there was little traffic between the villages as if it were Friday.
 
Report on existing checkpoints, old and new.

The exit from the village of Adik to the main road (continuation of road 446 in the direction of road 5). Because Palestinians are allowed to travel in this area it is not clear what the security reasons are for still blocking this exit while all the other barriers in the area have been taken down and Palestinians travel the road.
But if one looks on the map of the settlements all along the road, Peduel (a completely new settlement) , Bruchin, Alei-Zahav, at all of which one can see the continuous building it seems that the real reason is: to prevent the tractors going through to the area of olive groves and nurseries.  Cars have no problem getting through Bruchin but for a tractor to travel 10-20 kilometres each day to the olive groves and back is a considerable expense.

The checkpoint of Deir Ballut on road 446 is not manned but also not taken down.

On the road north in the direction of Zawiya is a red sign stating that the area is area A (it should only be so). As we did not know about new Oslo agreements this is an incorrect sign.
 
The passage from the road which enters Ariel towards Salfit is still blocked even though there is a new sign there showing the way to Salfit.

The checkpoint at the entrance to Kifl-Haris is not manned but the sentry tower still stands thre and the iron gate as well.
 
The checkpoint south of the village of Azzun-Atma. The entrance is limited to people living west of the checkpoint.  Also goods are limited. The commander is quite at ease in his role as the  "economic superintendent" “Why should Arabs make a living? One has to give Israel the opportunity” so the corporal tell us.
 
A new fence has been built which joins the old fence near to the fork in the roads of Alfei-Menashe – Ras-Tirah , encompasses from the north and east Ras-Tirah  and joins the existing fence south of Ras-Tirah.
The traffic from the villages which were in the enclave of Alfei-Menashe : Ras-Tirah, Dabah, part of the tribe of Wadi Rasha, to Qalqiliya and the villages in the area are free but a large amount of their lands still remain on the side of Alfei Menashe and can only be reached through two agricultural gates and is therefore access is  limited.

The checkpoint at the exit and entrance  south of Qalqiliya of the Palestinian security forces.  The checkpoint of the Palestinian police is at the first exit, east of Qalqiliya.

The agricultural gate at Habla. This is the passage of the residents of Habla and Qalqiliya to their lands.The hours of opening  in the evening are 16.45 to 17.45. IN winter the opening hours are later. So the IDF sees to it that they cannot work until late in the summer on their fields. Of course it is only the highest security reasons  behind the decision of the army as to at what hour the gate should be opened.
 
The checkpoint at the Eliyahu crossing/gate 109  is active today even though there is a closure of workers entering Israel.
 
Checkpoint which have been taken down in the area in which we travelled:

The exit from the village of Bruqin to road 5, which goes on to road 446. The barricade was taken down during the olive harvest. The Palestinian road which was closed by a grey gate is now open to traffic.
 
The exit from Haris to the crossroads of Bruqin is open.
 
The checkpoint at Qarawat Bani Hassan which has not been manned for a long time, the gate if taken down but there are two big boulders of which one has no warning in the middle of the road.
 
The entrance to Azzun-Atma is open , the northern checkpoint is not manned, since the beginning of April . The buildings of the checkpoint are still present.
 
The fence south of the village of Dabah and Hirbet Ras and from the east to Ras Atiah, has been taken down. 
The children ride on bicycles in the road. Others are breaking up pieces of iron on the side of the road . One boy holds a red sign in his hand which forbids touching the fence that once was there.  Tractors are loading the barbed wire which the army left. Villages which were kept apart when the fence was put up are  coming together again  as it is taken down and people who were kept far from their lands even when these were next to their homes now can enter them as their owners. 
But others who have now had their lands enclosed are very far from them.
 
The route taken:
Road 5, descent to the crossroads of Bruqin  and travelling through the checkpoijnt of A-dik village as far as the checkpoint of Deir Ballut on road 446, returning in the direction of road 5, the entrance to Bruqin  and travelling on the Palestinian road to Kif'l Haris, the continuation to Qarawat Bani Hassan, Bidiah, Saniriya, Beit Amin, Azzun-Atma.  Entering the road to the village and continuing to the southern checkpoint.  Back to the graove and continuing to Ras Atiah. Crossing the security road and gong on to the village of Dabah.
We looked over the fence which was taken down and the security road which is now an ordinary road. Back to the area which had been the checkpint of Ras-Atiah and along the  former security road where the fence has been taken down until the place where the road is blocked  by a part of the old fence which joins the new fence which encircles Hirbit Ras-Atiah. There is now an agricultural fence and we do not know if it is already working. 
Back to the former security road  and continuing along it to the north up to the place where the new fence meets the old one at the Habla enclave.
Looking over the agricultural gate which is at the fork in the roads  where before one turned to Hirbit Aras from the Alfei Menashe road.  Back to the old security road, corssing Ras Atiah and going on to the gate at Habla. The soldiers refuse to let us pass and we go back and come out through the southern neighborhood of Qalqiliya admiring the lanes and gardens of the roads of the city. 
.

14:50  Ras A-Tira
We photographed the new gate blocking the entrance to
the village.  Photo attached.  As we arrived
they were wiring the gates for electricity.

15:00  Habla
We wanted to see whether a line had already formed at
Habla as a result of the change in the hours the checkpoint is open (now
from 07:00-08:00, 12:00-13:00, and 17:00-18:00).  Three
people found a shady spot and fell asleep.  They finished
their workday and are now waiting until 17:00 so they'll be allowed to
go home.

5:35  Deir Sharaf
Not manned.

15:40  Anabta
Traffic flows quickly without inspections.

16:15  Irtah
Laborers returning from a working in Israel.  We
see them at the entrance to the installation where they're inspected,
and when they exit it.  A group of women also goes through. 
To my surprise, they ask to be photographed.  Photos
attached.  A man from Jenin is very angry - "When I was a
child you took my lands away, and now you're taking my dignity. On the
way to work on Fridays we're put in small, crowded rooms, 20 - sometimes
30 - people, why can't we cross with dignity?"  He's
right.  I promised to come this Friday.

A Palestinian Israeli relates that he's employed driving laborers from
the checkpoint to Israel, that the checkpoint is closed between 11:00
and 16:00; it opens briefly at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00.  One
of the security personnel says that's not the case.

16:55-17:35  Habla
At 17:00 it opens.  A continuous stream of
laborers.  They arrive in twos and threes.  Sometimes
a small group forms of people waiting, six or seven.  They
approach the inspection area in groups of four.  A man
without an ID isn't allowed through.  The soldier explains
that "those are the rules, and I'm only following the rules."  "What
if they fenced off your neighborhood and opened it for a total of only
three, non-continuous hours, what would you do?" I asked him.  "I'd
certainly be very angry, but I'm only following orders here."  "We
never only follow orders."  A herd of sheep comes along;
by the time the shepherd has gone through inspection the sheep
dispersed.  A horse and cart are inspected.  Photos
attached.

Chana S. translating

 General comment: 
The Palestinians at Ras 'Atiya say that tomorrow night the new checkpoint at Alfei Menashe will open. Please take note.  We did not see any final preparations, just a large gate placed next to a steep descent on the road without place for cars to stop. 6.45    Hablah. 
The gate was open and people were passing through.  It had opened – unbelievably early! – at 6.40.   One pedestrian who had a walkman had to lift his shirt for checking.   Passage at usual pace. 

7.05    Ras 'Atiya 
On the way we saw many workers in the direction of Alfei Menashe.  Few people in lines in both directions. A trash car waits for its worker who has been stuck for quarter of an hour at the checkpoint and returned to Ras a-Taiah.  His permit expired today and he has to go to the DCO. 
It is unclear how the driver will manage on his own but he drove on to Ras'Atiya.

Another man is sent back.  His record does not show that last time he returned to Ras'Atiya, so now he is sent as punishment to the DCO to renew his permit.  In the past they would do this only on the third occurrence; now it seems they are punished the first time.  One of the problems is that the Palestinians cannot see if the soldiers are entering correctly their numbers into the computer and thus check for mistakes (which occur regularly, according to the Palestinians). Passage is very slow for women teachers, taking 8 minutes

8.00        Entrance to Azzun, next to Izvat Tabib.  A police jeep with border police and a soldier.  All cars exiting Azzun stop and travellers’ i.d.’s are checked by computer.  A pedestrian is also checked.  As only one person works the computer, it takes 5 to 10 minutes per car.  The gate to Azzun is open, as well as the main exit to the road but, opposite, there is a jeep observing. 8.20      Funduq.  A Border Police jeep at the entrance to the village, checking documents of a car. 
Other cars are not stopped. 8.25   Shvut Ami.  
           Once again there are stones across the road, preventing passage of cars.  We did not see any people.

. 

Translator:  Charles K.

07:00  Habla –
About 20 people at the checkpoint.  One comes through:  “Today’s OK.”

The usual procedure:  5 people run toward the inspection booths, remain there a few minutes and quickly leave the checkpoint.  Today inspections are relatively rapid, 3-4 minutes.

Yael knows one of the people being inspected, a worker in the nursery located about 200 meters from the checkpoint.  He’s also checked every day, of course, on his way to the nursery.

07:45 - About 4-5 people at the checkpoint.  We left.

8:45 Ras Atiya –
One car being inspected.  No other people waiting at the checkpoint.  A taxi driver waits for passengers; he says the checkpoint is operating in an acceptable manner.

 .

Translation:  Suzanne O.

Eyal

4:30 a.m. 

The crossing opens at 4:00 a.m., and we see labourers who have already crossed.

We turned to go to the 'button' and two 'managers' immediately appear and stop us.  When we claimed that there is an agreement that we can enter with a guard they reply that that is all fair and good but they do not have a guard available to be with us.  We waited a bit, and then approached the fence.  It was still dark but we saw a long queue waiting quietly.

We talked to the labourers coming out:  a few said that the inspection was long and hard, one of them advised us to stand inside the building.  He told us that it is very crowded inside and the inspection alone took 40 minutes.  Other labourers said that it had gone well.

6:00 a.m. 

We went to the fence again, no one supervised us, the queue had disappeared and there was a steady trickle of people.

Chabla

6:40 a.m. 

The roadblock opened; there was a queue of about 100.  5 people at a time go in for an inspection which lasts about 2 minutes on average.  The first to come out was a family with a child suffering from cancer.  They are going to Schneider Hospital and a friend will come to take them there.

Ras Atiya

7:15 a.m. 

On our way we noticed that the gate in the wall is still not operational.  When we arrived at Ras Atiya we saw the school buses leaving the village.

The check point is open; the teachers are inspected at the entrance and at the exit.  In order to lead them to the gate the army has added a fence which separates the pedestrians from the cars.  The inspection of cars and their passengers is the old one:  the passengers alight and walk to the check point; the driver takes the vehicle across and goes to be inspected.

The school buses arrive:  the older children alight for inspection.  Military policemen board the bus for a moment and then the buses enter and wait for the inspection of the children and adults to be completed.

11:40 AM Gate 1392 Habla Agricultural Gate

There isn't much traffic when we arrive.  An elderly man parks his donkey pulled wagon at the side and enters the small concrete structure to have his ID card checked, two other people enter at the same time and they all three exit promptly and are on their way.  

Two drivers of tractors are waiting to have the trailers checked by the soldiers, after they passed the ID inspection.

13:12 Ras Atiya

There are several vehicles and men along the security road, repairing or renewing the fence.  The five soldiers at the CP seem to be moving from their post to the concrete structure (there is some problem with the computer) to the watch tower, always in action.  There are two cars parked outside of the concrete structure, the people waiting outside the carousel to enter, but there is a problem with the computer, the problem is solved and in 5 minutes the people are back in their cars and passing the CP.  

13:30

Some children begin coming out of school, a bunch of boys wait under cover from the sun, till a truck comes along and piles them in the back seat and gives them a lift home.

14:05 Eyal Crossing

Very few Palestinian workers are returning now, so there are no hold ups and the people move quickly.

Habla
6.50 Those coming out of the checkpoint with whom we speak say that it opened today at the correct time, 6.45. When we get to the gate it is raining strongly. People stand crowded in the checkpoint most of the them without head coverings. There is shouting and fisticuffs which comes mainly from the line. They stand 5-8 to the place of the checking, stand there a few minutes, not a long time but most of the people stand exposed to the rain. A heavy vehicle passes and the owners get out to be checked as well as a horse and cart.

7.30 Ras Atiya
About 25 people in line. We try to get close to them but of course are pushed off by the soldiers.

7.45 A young man comes out of the checkpoint and complains that he waited an hour. He says that some teachers are stuck in the line. Classes are supposed to begin at 7.45.

7.47 3 pupils come out but otherwise there is no movement.

7.55 We phone the Humanitarian Centre about the teachers who have not been freed. They promise to check but nothing happens and we phone again 10 minutes later.

The brother of the head of the village Ras Atira stands with us. He shows us (from afar) the principal who has not passed the checkpoint and is on his way back to the village.  He says that he is prevented but that in his ID it is written that he is allowed through. It is not clear why he is prevented from dong so. From what he says many of the village have already been prevented from passing for 12 years including the members of their family, except for his brother who is the head of the village. But in 2001 a star was added to their documents which was supposed to allow them to travel. He tells that at on last Thursday at 4.30 pm  his cousin came through the checkpoint with a baby of two months in her arms and her other small children. She had taken her sister's ID by mistake  and even though her own ID was brought to her she was arrested, taken with her baby to Kedumiem and from there to Ariel . She "enjoyed" the time there until 21.30  and then was only freed after paying 1500 bail. He himself had had problems at the checkpoint even though the star was supposed to allow him to pass. The soldier (the commander?) had advised him to come to him when the those going out had exited and he was waiting to speak to him.

A Palestinian who came out told us that the commander, Lior, was difficult. Others told us that since our arrival the checking had speeded up.

A teacher who came through .........said that teachers who were pregnant had to go through the x-ray device. Before they had only been searched by hand. They refuse and go back to the village.

8.20 4 teachers come out and go to the school with the driver who is waiting for them. 4 teachers are still at the checkpoint.

9.30 Awarta
2 trucks at the checkpoint.

9.35  Huwwara
8 old cars without licenses in the parking lot. Some of them who may still be able to move are encircled with barbed wire. The soldiers whom we ask either do not know or do not want to know why. Suddenly a noise, a commotion. A car travels swiftly to Nablus, passes another car and blocks its way. The people in the car which has passed are in civilian dress but have weapons and it seems that these are the secret police. They take the keys of the car from the Palestinian. He seems frightened and alarmed. He startst to shout at them and curses. About 10 minutes later he is allowed to go into Nablus but with a report. (Is this legal. Are the secret police allowed to give reports?)

10.35 Za'tara. No lines.

Translation: Hanna K.

14:00 Ras 'Atiya

L. the military policeman doesn’t remember whether in the morning the children and the schoolteachers were asked to leave the bus for checking ("I didn't put any stress on that").
After a few moments' conversation they ask us not to stand in the area of the CP.

14:10 Two small children, aged about eight, with schoolbags, pass over to Ras a Tira, the military policeman and another soldier come up to the children, who open their bags while the soldiers check them.

14:20 The soldiers chase away the children who had been waiting in the shed behind the CP and insist that we should stand behind the fence. A woman and two small children (4,5) arrive at the CP.
The children remain alone while the mother is sent to be checked in the building…
A man with a tender is detained for ten minutes while the soldiers thoroughly, gravely and earnestly check all the car's appliances. 

14:45 Eliyahu Gate – a few Palestinians on their way to the West Bank are detained by the police. There are no cars in the queue. There are three cars behind the CP.

The entrance to Azzun is open.

Translation: Galia S.

Azzun Atme checkpoint
07:15 – As I leave the car, I have an uneasy feeling: I am about to watch people in degrading circumstances. They will be standing in front of me and I'll be watching them against their will. Intrusive, but also lucky not to be in the same trouble, I haven't come to terms with this issue yet.

In the post made of concrete blocks, left of the room, there are four soldiers with weapons, helmets and bullet-proof vests. About twenty men are waiting to leave the village. The line is 3 meters away from the registration room, and two posts are operating. The line is so orderly that only when the post is freed, does the next in line come forward and shows his documents.

The passage is quick and the soldiers don't check food bags today. The reason for this efficiency soon becomes clear: the computer is out of order! So what they do is copy the names of the leaving people from the documents they have and this is definitely much quicker!

According to the people leaving, yesterday afternoon the entry was very much delayed – over 2 hours. Hundreds of people were waiting on the road outside with only one very slow person to do the checking.

I give them our phone number, so we can help and talk to the "DCO" in case such a thing happens. ["DCO" – District Coordination Office of the IDF Civil Administration that handles passage permits].

Za'tara checkpoint
08:00 – When we arrive, the place is empty of cars. Six soldiers man the two lanes for the cars that come from the direction of Nablus. Cars that go toward Nablus are not checked. There are soldiers also in the watch tower and in the big parking area there is a dog trainer with a dog.

Before we have time to enjoy the quiet, they start checking every single car in one of the lanes, which results in a line of 18 cars within a minute. Minutes later they stop checking documents and cars just pass slowly through the checkpoint.

Huwwara
08:10 – A military jeep is near the quarry in the village. In the junction facing Yizhar there are two soldiers in a post of concrete blocks.

Huwwara checkpoint
08:30 – The Border Police soldiers are at the entrance to Nablus and five soldiers are at the exit (including a dog trainer).

In the parking lot at the entrance to Nablus, there are 6 cars that were detained 10 days ago in a police operation to locate stolen vehicles. They are here gathering dust and waiting for ownership proof. Two Palestinians who arrived to pick up their cars are near the parking lot. They have brought permits and licences and another document signed by a notary and are now waiting for the policeman to come and release their vehicles.

09:15 – A jeep is at the entrance to Yizhar.

09:25 – A civilian military vehicle is busy giving tickets in Funduq

09:35 – A jeep is at the entrance to Azzun.

09:40 – In Nabi I'lyas there are two military jeeps with a small truck. What are they doing here?

09:45 – At Eliyahu Gate checkpoint there are no waiting cars and no pedestrians.

Ras 'Atiya
10:15 – The new checkpoint isn't active yet. There is some activity at the old checkpoint and once in a while a car or a pedestrian, a pupil, a student passes there.

At this hour it is very quiet here.

10:30 – We leave.

No special delays and only random checks on entering and leaving Nablus.