Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), Tayasir, Za'tara (Tapuah), Sun 1.5.11, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
11:15 Shomron gate – Empty
11:30 Za’tara junction checkpoint
Soldiers are stationed on the side of the checkpoint, taking care of cars coming from Huwwara. There’s no line now at the checkpoint.
12:00 Ma’aleh Efraim checkpoint – Empty
12:15 Hamra checkpoint
No line. A car coming from eastern Barta’a (the northern seam zone) on its way to Jericho can’t go through because only residents of the Jordan Valley are permitted to go through the checkpoint with a vehicle. The passengers will have to take a taxi from the checkpoint to Jericho. [Dafna comments: There are no taxis at the checkpoint, so the only possibility is to wait for an empty taxi that passes – not easy.]
A Palestinian who wanted to reach the Jiftlik is stopped because the registration of the car he’s driving is in the name of a Nablus resident. They took his ID and let him go through and come back.
13:30- We went to visit a Bedouin family we’re in contact with. The only one there was a little girl of kindergarten age. The rest of the children are in school in Auja. Since it’s far away, they live there with their grandmother or their mother. They’d rather send the children to school in Tamun, which is nearer, but the road goes through the Gochia checkpoint which is only open three times a week (at best), so Auja was their only choice.
13:45– We visited another family. All the children were home because of the first of May. Later the brother joined us and told us the following shocking story: Rami, the area’s security man, showed usp in his pickup truck, tied the horse’s head to the vehicle and drove back and forth, shattering the horse’s head until it was dead, in front of them. Rami told him he could file a complaint, but he didn’t recommend it. And, in fact, he’s afraid and won’t file a complaint with the police. Nora wrote down the information to give to Yesh Din.
He also told us that the same security man forced one of the brothers to move his tent elsewhere. We’ve already reported in the past that, because of Rami, the Bedouin in the area can’t water their flocks. He’s apparently making their lives miserable, either on his own initiative or under orders from others, and no one does anything to stop him.
14:30 Tayasir checkpoint
Little traffic. The barrier is out of order and the commander is afraid cars will go through without stopping.
15:10 Gochia checkpoint
An army jeep is there.
16:00 Maley Efraim checkpoint
Soldiers on the side of the entrance to the Jordan Valley.
16:15 Za’tara junction
Soldiers are inspecting cars coming from Huwwara.
There’s a police car on site. The policeman stopped two trucks. One driver received a NIS 500 fine because the bundles of garlic he was transporting weren’t properly packed (it appeared they were harassing him). The other driver had his license taken and was ordered to come to the police station in order to get it back. He didn’t understand why.