Eyal Crossing, Eliyahu Crossing, Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), Thu 24.9.09, Afternoon
Translation: Bracha B.A.
14:30 Irtah
About 20 people are waiting at the entrance gate for it to be opened so they can continue on their way. In our experience, the security guards at the facility know exactly who is there on the other side of the fence. There are cameras that report every person who arrives constantly and only care and attention, or our request will get them out of a long wait in the heat for no reason.
This is precisely what happened: 10 minutes after we asked to open the gate, we saw people going through and continuing on their way. We did not count how many people came out. Perhaps some remained and had to wait behind the fences until the guards felt like opening the gate again.
Workers have begun to arrive at the end of their work day in Israel. Only one inspection booth was open. The check was done quickly. A few people told us that we should have been here yesterday. Things were very bad!
We understood that the most crowded times are 15:30-17:30, when women return from visits to prisons and workers arrive. During that time the guards change shifts and there is a lot of pressure.
We tried to find out if it was possible to meet with the crossing commander or the security officer, or to get the phone number of the person responsible. We were told that Ronen, the security guard, was at a meeting and would not be free for another hour and a half.
16:00 Eyal Crossing
There are very few people.
We continued on to Tzufin. We found a luxurious settlement built on the ruins of an elaborate Arab settlement. (See photo).
16:45 Eliyahu CrossingThere are no people in the pedestrian crossing.