Eyal Crossing, 'Anabta, Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), יום ג' 11.8.09, אחה"צ

Macky S. Riva B.

Natanya translating.

Irtach.  Only one checking post open with 5 men waiting in the blistering sun outside. We phone the humanitarian centre to check with the DCO but in a few minutes the turnstile opens and all enter. A swift passage. The turnstiles keep opening and closing but the passage is quick.  It is sad to see people coming from the parking lot at a run because of the fear that it will close (it seems that this is the conclusion that the workers come to) .  After 15 minutes the turnstile again closes and the line outside does not move. About 100 people crowd in the sun and men people in a hurry joine them.  It is not clear why this happens. Again we phone the centre and try to phone directly to the DCo in which is engaged all the time. We spoke to the people waiting. One of them came from Jenin at 5.00  and works in Ashkelon and will not have to just go home. The journey had cost him 40 shekel.

After about 15 minutes people again go in with no delay and some more turnstiles are opened. The passage is swift.

At 16.30 we leave for Anabta. When we were in the car looking at the lines of those wishing to leave Tulkarm women shouted to us to check whey the gate had not been opened for a long time. They are a group of tourists…human rights group?....who were going to Tel Aviv. We went back to the parking lot and asked the person watching outside to report this inside. The besieged goal is a "passage" but it is very frustrating just to make a simple effort to make contact with a "human"  voice, not to speak of the actual passage.

16.45 Anabta. Many cars go past with no queuing. A random checking  for cars exiting and entering and for some reason maybe for those entering Tulkarm.

17.10 Irtach. A very small stream of people who arrive and immediately go in.    

17.35 The Ayal crossing. The turnstiles are open all the time and the passage is swift.

Here we have complaints about the small and crowded "rooms"  in which people sometimes spend 45 minutes to one and a half hours and it is not clear who is sent there or what is happening to them. They claim that there are some people who are always "invited." When they go into the room they have to give their ID (with no personal contact or any explanation)  and at the end they get it back on a small stick or something like that which looks like cotton wool and again without being told why.  Or what the material which is used at the entrance and the bitter fear of this difficult passage.

18.10 We left.