'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Sun 28.11.10, Afternoon

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Observers: 
Ruthie T.
Nov-28-2010
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Afternoon

15:30-17:45

15:30 A'anin CP

A military policewoman with a laptop and three malesoldiers are having a conversation near the concrete cube. Most of the peoplehave already gone through. A few workers arrive and go through quickly. From adistance, somebody calls out the number he had in the morning. A soldier arrivesto make certain that I do not step past the line of the gate. No, it's none ofmy business how many people went through this morning.  Olive-pickingprocedure? He doesn't know. Perhaps in another two weeks. The dirt near thegate? It's not ours. A sergeant arrives: You are interfering with my soldiers' carrying out their task; I'll be forced to close the CP. So - I step back andthe gate remains open. A tractor goes through in two minutes. By 15:55 13workers have gone through.

16:00 Shaked-Tura CP

A private car with a woman driver who knows a greatdeal about how the CP works is now being inspected and a Transit arrives at thegate. Nine women dressed elegantly with small children get out of it. They arefrom Umm Reihan on their way to a cousin in Tura. On the other side a number ofcars are waiting. At 16:08 a car arrives; a woman and a little girl get out andwalk up for inspection. The driver waits to be called, but the soldiers, amongthem three women soldiers, are in no hurry to call him. From their post, you canhear their happy conversation. The driver is called only after I call thesoldiers' attention to him. At 16:18, the driver returns from inspection. Now they inspect the car as well as an additional car on the other side. Fourwomen of the nine are still waiting in front of the door to the inspectionroom.

16:35 Reihan-Barta'a CP

In the parking lot there are only cars that arrivefor a moment, their passengers get out and hurry to the terminal, and theyreturn to the place they came from. In addition to the yellow CP that was set uprecently at the exit from the inspection compound for cars, there is now a newCP only a few meters distant from it. At the entrance to the terminal abouttwenty people are standing. The turnstile allows different numbers of people togo through: 9, 3 (!), 7. Four young men are sitting on the bench for those whohave stayed in Israel illegally. A guard calls them from on high: "Guys, comehere!" The "guys" go there. At 16:55 many workers arrive. "Do something." A callto Sharon (the one in charge of the CP) and within a few minutes an additionalwindow is opened for the convenience of those who are waiting. I suggestedto the workers that they write down Sharon's number and call him when there is aneed. That made them laugh. Sharon arrives with a security guard and with A. from the DCO. They manage to put things in order near the turnstile. Sharonthinks that the number of people did not really require a second window. Heis supposed to provide only for the residents of Barta'a. Now he is forced totransfer one of the CP workers here from vehicle inspection. Since there is no alternative, he allows the workers who went throughIrtach in the morning, to return through his CP. According to him, theiremployers "throw" them off here and he cannot simply block them. Some of theworkers listen to him, understand what he is saying, and they are embarrassed. Iam, too. Sharon is very careful about cleanliness. He himself picks up dirt, scolds whoever throws down a cigarette butt and waits until somebody is sent tosweep the rest of the butts. A person arrives at 17:30 with a broom and adust pan and is given detailed instructions by the man in charge. At 17:45Transits with many workers arrive. I hope that the second post is still inoperation.