Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), Sun 6.3.11, Morning
04:04
The PA announces they’re starting to work. The first “clump” of about 50 people crosses immediately. The number of older women is noticeable. The path to the facility is crowded, but not jammed. We walk to the exit
04:11
The first laborers exit. People come out quickly, almost flowing out
04:40
We return to the entrance. The line moves forward in quiet submission. We hear the guard: “One at a time, one at a time, forward, back, come on, come on,” over and over…
The sign with the picture of an anemone, “The hope of us all,” is gone
A laborer is stopped when the x-ray machine beeps – we hear the loud questioning…”Why didn’t you say you had tuna when I asked,” etc., etc. But he also goes through a few minutes later
05:30
More laborers keep arriving but the line thins out
Two laborers return; they weren’t allowed to cross because their fingerprints didn’t match. That sometimes happens because of manual labor; they have to go to the DCO.
06:00
All the laborers went through
Hundreds of laborers are still waiting outside for their employers. Their fear of being delayed in the inspection rooms makes them arrive hours before they are to be picked up, hours of valuable sleep
06:10
We leave. For a moment we feel this has been an easy, quick morning, but immediately realize that it’s not a question of easy and quick, but that the occupation has become a permanent regime