Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim), Fri 24.5.13, Morning

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Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)

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Hitches at checkpoints

Observers:

Annelien K. Varda Z. (reporting)

May-24-2013

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Morning

Natanya translating

Irtah/Sha'ar Efraiym Dawn shift

04.55 We arrive to find the gates open. 05.02 A wild rush of people to get to the terminal first. Why is this important? It is important to remember that on weekdays the gates open at 4.00 and the start of the working day is similar to Friday when the gates open at 5. Annelien goes to the gate at the entrance to Israel to check how much time it takes for those who are first to get through the terminal. They were out in 5 minutes. Each car that was waiting outside left as soon as it was full. That is to say that the first people where on their way at 05.15.

When we arrived we saw the stream of men arriving. But they did not join the line at the turnstiles but gathered at what in the past we called the “women’s gate.” On Friday it is true that there were one or two women in the irregular line but most were men. It seems that when the gates are opened this side door also does so even though it is impossible to see clearly because those outside hid the view. But the fact that the line became shorter in spite of the fact that other people streamed to it shows this clearly.

Is there a new agreement with those handling the affairs of this checkpoint?

This increases the crowding and pushing at the entrance to the terminal.

And also: The path leading to the terminal next to the gates is strewn with rubbish which causes a problem to those entering. A big round bin for a few minutes prevents the use of one of the turnstiles at the entrance until a worker who was willing to delay freed the blockage by kicking the bin aside.

05.16 At the entrance we found an elderly man sitting and catching his breath. He said that he had been crushed in the crowd and lost his sandal. Afterwards a barefoot woman comes out who has lost both her sandals. Another came out scratched and bloody. Again there is the word….a mess…as there had been two weeks ago.

A man whom we had marked at the entrance to the terminal at 05.14 came out at 05.34. Those who had not managed to be among the first to enter took a longer time. That is the reason for the wild rush of people. Later on there is no such rush.

On the exit side of the terminal 5 windows are open. The exit is steady and fast. People come out angry and bitter.

06.00 We left

Location Description

Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)

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The checkpoint is for Palestinians only. It is the main barrier to the passage of workers from the northern West Bank to Israel.
Workers with a permit to work in Israel and also for trade (with appropriate permissions), medicine, and visiting prisoners.
One can cross the checkpoint only on foot. The checkpoint is located north of Road 557 and south of Tulkarm. Operated by a civil security company, opening hours: between 4:00 and 19:00 on weekdays.
As members of Machsom Watch, we began our shifts to this location in 2007.
We arrived before it opened at 4 in the morning and report since, on the harsh conditions and the long and crowded queues of workers. The workers who pass by continue their journey by transportation to work throughout Israel.

In the first period of its activity, about 3,000 and then 5,000 people passed through this checkpoint every day. Due to the small number of checking points and arbitrary delays for long periods of time in the "rooms", workers feared losing their transportation.
Hence workers leave their homes at 2:30 at night to be among the first. Today, 15,000 pass and the transition is faster. Workers are still leaving their homes very early to get past the checkpoint at 7 p.m.

In an adjacent compound, there is a terminal for the transfer of goods on a commercial scale, using the back-to-back method.