Reihan, Shaked, Sun 13.6.10, Morning

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Observers: 
Hanna H. Roti T (reporting)
Jun-13-2010
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Morning

Translation: Bracha B.A.

6:00-7:35

"They want us to forget about our land.  That's their politics."

06:00 Reihan Barta'a Checkpoint
Workers are sitting on the ground and on the curbs by the side of the road waiting for rides.  The seamstresses, who are unusually well-dressed and looking fashionable, are coming out of the sleeveinfo-icon.  Tenders are unloading their cargo in the vehicle inspection facility.  As has been the case recently, there is no congestion or waiting. 

Our acquaintance, A, invites us to his son's wedding on July  12th.  The above quote was spoken by a MK from Tura who speaks fluent Hebrew.

He stresses again and again that his family owns over 200 dunams (50 acres) of orchards and that the weeds need to be hoed during the summer season in order to prevent brush fires.  H explains that his elderly father who can no longer work but in whose name the land is registered,  is the only one who has received an agricultural permit.  He has appealed to the Israeli and Palestinian authorities as well as the Liaison and Coordination Administration but to no avail.  He now goes to work in Shaked and sounds extremely fed up and desperate.   

07:05 - Shaked Tura Checkpoint
The gate close to us is open and the inner gate is still closed.  At 07:07 about 20 people approach the turnstile. A herd of goats is waiting patiently.  At 07:12 the first woman comes out towards the lone house.  The first person comes through at 07:16.  It is very late.  The first car comes through at 07:18.  A soldier tells us that we cannot stand in the field in back of the barbed wire because it is a closed military area.  Does this mean that the litter on both sides of the fence is also in a closed military area?   No, she answers, the dirt and litter is theirs.  When we ask why the checkpoint began operating so late she replied that they had a problem, but refused to give any details.   The driver of the blue transit says that they have stopped harassing him when he goes to the seamline zone.  The herd of goats goes through at 07:25.  At 07:35 there are about 15 people next to the turnstile.  The passage to the seamline zone continues slowly.  We hurry to get to Jalameh to pick up Aya and her mother.  We are also taking a Palestinian doctor who is doing his specialization at Rambam Hospital through the Peres Center for Peace who works during the week and  goes home for weekends.