'Azzun 'Atma, Habla
'Azzun 'Atma, Habla
An ordinary day - the occupation routine.
06:10 'Azzun 'Atma. Many have already crossed; they’re sitting outside around improvised bonfires waiting for their employers. About 50 people on line, but they’re going through quickly. We timed one of them – it took him 17 minutes to get through, a speed record. Newcomers continue to join the line so it doesn’t get any shorter even though they’re going through quickly. Four detainees
are sitting off to one side; we’re not able to speak with them but the DCO officer who had been there part of the time says some of them were caught going through a hole in the fence (you’ve heard about “an invitation to thieves”? Here it is), even though they have permits for the seam zone. He said they’d be detained; it’s not clear what will happen to them later, when their IDs arrive. They were confiscated by the soldiers in the patrol jeep who caught them; they’re still on patrol. There are five children selling coffee today; they promised they’d go to school at 07:00.
07:05 Habla. Few have already crossed; there’s no one at the checkpoint. Whoever arrives goes through immediately. Isn’t it amazing how efficient the army is today? Could it be a new system, or just a lucky day for Palestinians crossing to work in the seam zone?
A constant trickle of people crossing; it increases as the time approaches to close the checkpoint. The night watchmen return on donkey carts, and just after 07:00 the school bus from Arab al-Ramadin went through to the school in Habla. It seems they’ve put the boys and girls together; now there’s only one bus.
07:45 The gates closed; everyone has gone through.