'Anin, Jalama, Reihan, Shaked, Thu 11.2.10, Morning
06:10 A'anin CP
This morning more people are going through than usual. It seems that additional permits for 'agricultural' passage have been given. For some reason, inspection is done twice: once near the middle gate and again between that gate and the gate on the side of the seamline zone. We could not see what was inspected in each phase. A few women go through with their children.
One woman goes through with a little boy and tells us that they would not let another son of 15 go through with her. As you know, the permit says that it can be used to go through with a child of 12. Those aged 12-16 do not have their own ID cards and therefore cannot go through by themselves. In the past they would be allowed through with their parents. Today, they were not allowed to do so. Our phone call to the DCO and conversations with a woman soldier and with the DCO representative, did not help. The DCO representative said that there were other children who were not allowed through this morning. He promised to talk to the commander of the Salem DCO. In the afternoon, I tried to discuss the matter with him (by phone) but I could not get a clear answer; he promised to find out about it and 'to sharpen [clarify] the procedures.' 06:40 - They lock the gates
.
06:50 Shaked-Tura CP
The representative of the DCO reached the CP before us. He saw that the soldiers had not yet arrived (the CP opens at 07:00) and drove off to bring them from the base nearby. 07:05 - They open the gates. About 15 people and a few cars are waiting on the side of the West Bank. The children from the 'isolated house' are the first to arrive. School children arrive on foot and in cars from Daher el-Malek. High school students arrive from Um-a-Reihan as well. A van full of children aged about 4-6 unloads them inside the CP. The children present their colorful schoolbags for inspection and run around the vehicle until the soldiers finish inspecting them.
07:30 -Older boys and girls arrive. A woman soldier peeks into the schoolbags. The inspection is quick. The situation is absurd. There are no longer any people waiting on the side of the West Bank.
07:40 - all of them have gone through.
07:50 Reihan-Barta'a CP
Many drivers are waiting in the upper parking lot, on the side of the seamline zone. Those going through say that things are 'ok'. At this time, only a few arrive at the lower parking lot (from the West Bank to the seamline zone) and are swallowed up in the terminal immediately. Our friend, the driver, A. says that the CP near Mavo Dothan is not manned and everybody is free to go through there as they wish.
The drive to the Jalameh CP is long - a truck loaded with sand overturned in Wadi Ara early this morning and they have still not finished clearing up the sand.
09:30 Jalameh CP
There is no pedestrian traffic at this time. Before the vehicle CP, there is a queue of dozens of cars belonging to Arab citizens of Israel who wish to go through to the West Bank.
Aya, the toddler who goes to Rambam for dialysis regularly, is waiting for us with her grandmother and an aunt. Her mother is in the final days of her pregnancy and cannot travel.