Habla, Mon 12.9.11, Morning

Route no. 1 (partial)

.Habla

07:00  The gate has just opened.  About 20 people are in line; while they’re inspected more people arrive and the line stays the same.  After about ten people were checked an argument erupts; the soldiers tried to mediate and briefly stopped letting people through.  We asked one of the laborers where he works.  He said he works on his family’s land, but to reach it he must make a long detour on foot or take a taxi.  At seven-thirty two buses carrying schoolchildren arrived.  Some even got out of the bus while they waited.

Jayyus

08:00  We met Na’im at the entrance to the village.  He told us about the problem they’re facing – obtaining permits for the olive harvest, which begins in two weeks.  The army requires the farmers to submit anew all the documents proving ownership (even though it received them last year).  The bureaucracy wears the farmers down.

Entry permits to the groves will be granted to the landowners and some of their children, not to grandchildren.  This decree makes it difficult for them to pick the entire crop.  In two weeks they’ll find out how many have gotten permits and how many have been denied.

Falamya checkpoint

09:00  After some U-turns we reached the Falamya checkpoint.  A flock of sheep arrived at the gate who had to be patient until the shepherd was inspected.

A truck came from the fields loaded with sacks of za’atar which is grown in large quantities, dried and exported through Jordan to Arab countries.  Israel doesn’t import from here.

We met an elderly couple who arrived at the gate and repeated how hard it is to get harvest permits for family members.

The checkpoint commander approached us to find out what we were doing in an encouraging manner and we began talking.  He’s from kibbutz Giv’at Haim.  A soldier at the checkpoint called to him and when he went over to him said “Why are you talking to them.”

From Falamya we drove home via Huga and Funduq.