'Azzun, 'Azzun 'Atma, Eyal Crossing, Falamiya, Habla, Mon 22.7.13, Morning
06:10 'Azzun 'Atma checkpoint
A fair number of people have already gone through the checkpoint and wait for their employers. About 40 people on line, the revolving gate is operating. Night-shift workers from Hanson arrive and go through with no problems. The crossing goes quickly, like clockwork.
06:35 Habla checkpoint
Soldiers are on site, and many Palestinians wait on line to cross (about 40 people, more than last week at this hour). No one seems to have crossed yet (it was supposed to open at 06:30).
06:42 The first group enters the checkpoint. Now people cross at the usual rate. About 25 people went through during 12 minutes.
'Azzun
The direct exits to Highway 55 from 'Azzun and from Izbet Tabib are open.
08:00 Falamya checkpoint
A car arrives, the gate to the inspection location is locked, so arrivals have to enter inspection through the exit gate. The car is sent back, forward, back again, until the soldiers are satisfied with where it’s standing and approach to inspect it. The car returns; the driver doesn’t have a permit to cross with the car. He must have hoped they’d let him through anyway. His son got out of the car and continued on foot to the seam zone. We don’t see equipment working on the route of the new fence but we hear it from a distance. A small truck arrives, is inspected and drives through onto the security road. A pedestrian crosses; like every time we’ve been here – peace and quiet – it would be a glorious location if only they’d get rid of the fence that mars its beauty. On our way here, a woodchat shrike on the fence greeted us for the third week in a row.
08:45 Eyal gate
The drinking fountain is filthy.
Construction underway all along the northern side of the checkpoint; a temporary construction fence conceals the structure so you can’t see anything, not even people coming through the gate and those waiting for the DCO.
There is a large puddle of water in the wadi between the checkpoint area and the parking lot – a source of mosquitoes and flies, but who cares.
Many taxis in the parking lot wait to drive people exiting to Israel. Some of those who went through the checkpoint wait for their employers to pick them up. While we were there a gardener arrived and took someone to work for the day – not a permanent employee, only a day-laborer.