'Anabta, Deir Sharaf, Eliyahu Crossing, Ras 'Atiya, Wed 2.9.09, Morning

Eliyahu crossing. 6.00. The workers complain that the checking is slow. The checkpoint opens at 5 but the first people are already waiting at 3.30. The building is small and two soldiers check. The workers make up a list and do not push. About 250-300 workers. Because of Ramadan there are fewer and the checking ends at 6.30.

One worker complains that the women soldiers always make trouble for him and when he arrives it takes an hour to check his ID, laugh at him and insult him.

Ras Atiya. 6.50. We stand further away than on our previous visit and one of the soldiers signals us to come forward. A bus with children enters the village, papers are checked and it goes through. A group of workers stand in a fenced line to be checked. There is a comparatively large number. We asked some of them where they are going to and it seems that they go through all this checking so as to get to their own lands because the wall has put them inside the Israeli side (so it seems).

When the cars wish to leave the village the driver has to get out and stand in the line to be checked. Another car arrives with some passengers and their IDs are checked against the list.
A man with a horse and cart shows his ID. Pupils arrive on foot or bicycle and are not checked. Teachers do not stand in line but their IDs are checked at the checkpoint.

Deir Sharaf (The barrel checkpoint). A settler who was formerly from Homesh and is now at Havat Gilad meets us. He tries to send us away and when we ask says that we are bothering the soldiers. He himself is a stranger and this is his first meeting but he has heard from others.

Opposite the booth is a van " a travelling dog van". The traffic goes through freely and Israeli cars are also allowed in for Ramadan.

Anabta. 9.00 The traffic flows freely and here too there was an attempt to send us further away from the checkpoint.