New route no. 1,

06:55  The soldiers are already here but haven’t begun letting people through.

07:03  The first five people enter for inspection.

Inspection is quick and 20 people cross in 15 minutes, as well as a large bulldozer whose driver is checked.

Two military vehicles arrive on the unpaved road between the plant nurseries leading to the crossing.  They drive onto the security road and continue on merry and gleeful…

07:16  The first bus with children arrives, and then the second.  The drivers are checked quickly, a soldier gets on the bus and exits through the rear door.  The baggage compartment is also inspected.

07:35  Eliyahu crossing

At least 30 Palestinians wait to enter the inspection facility.  Construction and expansion of the checkpoint doesn’t appear to have progressed very far.

We drive via Nebi Elias, enter 'Azzun and turn under Route 55 to Jayyus.  We pass the village and drive down the road to Tulkarm.  We pass the turn to the Jayyus agricultural crossing, which is closed at this hour, and reach the Falamya agricultural crossing which is open.

08:00  Falamya agricultural gate.

Nobody crossing at this hour and we drive on.

We drive through the village of Falamya, continue to Kafr Jammal and turn onto the road to Tulkarm on the way to the Jubara/children’s gate checkpoint.

I want to note that there are few people in the street at this hour, the schoolchildren have already gone to school (we saw children standing in rows in the schoolyard), and everything is closed except for shops selling food.

08:20  Children’s gate – Jubara

Cars parked outside the gate.  A taxi arrives; a man gets out, enters for inspection, comes through quickly and continues into the village; a woman coming from the village gets into a taxi after a quick inspection and drives off.

A pickup truck arrives, the driver gets out, is checked and drives into the village.

Such is the daily routine of a village surrounded by a fence; only the residents and permit holders are allowed to enter.

We turn around and drive to Zayit plaza where we turn left toward the village of Kur.  We turn left a little before the village toward Beit Lid.  The winding road is lovely.

08:45  Beit Lid

We drive into the village and stop to ask where to turn to reach the way out; three people come over immediately to help and explain.  By now more stores are open and more people are in the street.  We turn on Route 557 toward Deir Sharaf.

09:00  Deir Sharaf

A quick stop at a bakery for coffee and baked goods and a casual conversation with workers in the bakery and the grocery about Ramadan and the holiday that’s just ended, and we turn toward 'Anabta.  A military ambulance is parked on the roadside at the turn off Route 60 from Deir Sharaf to Route 557 toward 'Anabta.  It’s the only military vehicle we see on the road during our entire shift.

We later learned that settlers carried out reprisals that morning in the Huwwara area.

09:20  The 'Anabta checkpoint is open and cars go through freely in both directions.  There’s a military vehicle, and soldiers in the guard tower who are apparently observing those who are crossing.  We noticed that the coffee sellers and the cars that had been parked in the past were no longer there.  The fig sellers weren’t there either.

09:30  We returned via the Te’anim crossing after a quick check of our ID cards. 

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