'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Mon 30.11.09, Morning

Place:

Barta'a-Reihan

Tura-Shaked

'Anin

Tags:

Detainees

Crowding

DCO (District Coordination Offices)

Seam Zone

Turnstile

Observers:

Leah R, Anna NS (reporting)

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Nov-30-2009

Morning

Fourth day of Eid al-Adha, Festival of the Sacrifice, and the last day of olive harvest (5.10 - 30.11.09).

06:05 Aanin Checkpoint
The road to the checkpoint is empty. When we reach the checkpoint, the reason is clear – for the holiday the checkpoint opens half an hour later, at 06:00, as do the other checkpoints. The Palestinians were not informed.

Scores are waiting on the far, lower side. Those coming out complain that permits had not been renewed. The commander of Salem DCO confirmed that this was true, because the olive harvest had ended, and he was not convinced that maintenance of the trees and cultivation of the land needed to be done all year in order to guarantee a good yield in the coming year. Despite the festive atmosphere, the residents looked helpless. Last year there had been a similar problem and they had made a demonstration and invited a British tv reporter to cover events. Following this, the army had "made problems for us at the checkpoint," saying "if you speak again to the press you will not get permits at all."
The crossing itself was quick without any delays. At the entrance to the checkpoint stood an armed soldier, watching us to see that we did not cross the "line."
A family with a number of toddlers, beautifully dressed, came out looking as if they were returning from a family visit.

07:05 Reihan-Bartaa Checkpoint
Here too they opened the checkpoint late and scores were waiting by the gate. For a long time we have not heard the loudspeakers calling "yalla, pass," "pass," "who are you?" "Open the bag," "only five to enter," etc. Not "happy holiday" or "good morning." Upon our entry into the compound and approach to the waiting line, the rate of passage picked up. Now they all passed the yellow gate and are crowded in the sleeve info-icon at the entrance to the terminal. Far from us. We ascend the sleeve to follow the exit. Only one window is open. Transit time 20 minutes.

A young man, around 30, is detained. He is an "illegal," seeking to return home in Yaabed in the West Bank. According to him he has been waiting since 06:30. Around 07:45, five security men appear and demand his documents. He has no permit to cross, and according to him he is returning from Bartaa. The security men interrogate: "Good, you were there, who did you meet." After quarter of an hour they take him into one of the rooms. To our distress, we left before he came out.

On the road, the familiar picture: a Palestinian taxi being checked and all the passengers standing aside and waiting for it to end. At the same time, Israeli vehicles flow past on the same road with no obstruction. Lords of the Land...

08:15 Shaked-Tura Checkpoint
Instead of 07:00, the army also decided that 08:00 is good enough. School is closed and the workers – let them wait.

On the east side of the checkpoint scores of men are waiting as usual. On the Seam Zone side a few cars wait to cross to the West Bank. People complain about long checks – wasted time. Here too complaints about passes not renewed. They ask – what will be? We move one step into the checkpoint to see better, and immediately, but immediately, a roar: "Yalla, yalla, get out of there!" I comment to him that he should be polite, and in response he raises his voice and screams "back off!"

We "backed" out at 08:45.

Listen to a story
This evening Leah reports that B., a Palestinian who works in Shahak Industrial Area by Shaked, was informed that his magnetic card was corrupted and he must change it. He travelled to the Salem DCO in the morning, paid 100 shekels for a renewed card, waited till evening at the DCO and then received the card. He lost a day’s work, paid out 100 shekels. Okay. Tried the next day to cross with the new card, was told at the checkpoint that there was a fault in the card and required to change it. The man again went to DCO Salem in the morning, paid 100 shekels for a renewed card, waited till evening and was given the card. Another word day lost, 200 shekels down the drain. Yesterday he came to the checkpoint with the new card and now he was told that his permit is out of date. Tomorrow he will come with his boss to the checkpoint – maybe he will pass, maybe it will be okay. Seven roads of hell, and more, in order to make a living. Go and tell that to Bibi.
　

Location Description

Anin agricultural checkpoint

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located on the Separation Fence east of the Israeli community Mei Ami and close to the village of Anin in the West Bank. It is opened twice a week, morning and afternoon, for periods of time that are growing shorter Lith time. It is meant for Anin farmers whose olive groves have been separated from the village by the fence. Transit permits are only issued to those who can produce ownership documents for their caged-in land, and sometimes only to the head of the family or his widow, eldest son and children. At times the inheritors lose their right to tend to the family’s land. The permits are eked out and are re-issued only with difficulty. 55-year old persons may cross the checkpoint (into Israel) without special permits. During the olive harvest season (about one month around October) the checkpoint is open every day and more transit permits are issued. Names of persons eligible to cross are held in the soldiers’ computers. In July 2007, a sweeping instruction was issued according to which whoever does not return to the village through this checkpoint in the afternoon will be stripped of his transit permit when he shows up there next time. Since 2019, the checkpoint has not been allways locked with the seam-line zone gate (1 of 3 gates info-icon ), and the fence around it has been broken in several sites.

Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

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This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.

fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)

Mar-22-2022

Ruti Tuval

The locked gate at the Anin checkpoint

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Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).