Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan

The occupation routine.  Everything’s ok.  Have we grown accustomed to it?  No way.  We find it strange that others, including Palestinians (perhaps only seemingly) and also soldiers view what goes on as normal.

06:55  Tura (Shaked)

The soldiers slowly come up the road.  They open the checkpoint and work efficiently.  The first car goes through in seven minutes; the school principal’s car enters a few minutes later.  People on foot come through much more slowly.  They’re always delayed by the computer.  The checkpoint area is dirty again.  Schoolchildren arrive on foot from Dahar el Malak; laborers  get into cars serving as taxis.

07:50  Yabed (Dothan)

The checkpoint is already manned at this hour, which is unusual.  But, as usual, the checkpoint area is very filthy.  Who’s in charge?  Who’s supposed to keep it clean – the village of Yabed, which the checkpoint blocks?  The local council, including the Dothan settlement on the hilltop, which the checkpoint protects, together with its access road?  Traffic flows with no delays.  Some drivers have their documents inspected, others go through almost without stopping.  The soldier’s wave sends vehicles through toward Jenin.

08:15  Yabed (Reihan)

Some 16 loaded trucks wait wherever there’s space – in the small parking area assigned to them, by the roadside and at the entrance to the large parking area – the turmoil of its renovation has resulted in paving two sections, eliminating the prayer corner from the canopied area and also removing the small kiosk from which H. made a living in addition to his cleaning the checkpoint, supporting an entire family whose father is ill and can’t work.  The “café” belonging to a resident of Hermesh is open.

It’s crowded – difficult to enter, and even harder to exit.

We went to the upper section of the checkpoint, near the seam zone.  Taxis wait, laborers come up through the sleeve, “everything’s ok” and the world keeps turning.

That’s all.