Falamiya

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Place: 
Observers: 
Micky F. and Snait G. (reporting and photographing); Translator: Maya B.-H.
Dec-27-2015
|
Morning

Falamiya North (CP 935)



This CP serves the villagers of Falamiya and Kafr Jammal.  Whilst we were there about 60-65 people passed, inlcuding 3 women, and 7-8 tractors, small lorries, and a donkey-and-cart.  The CP, which has a large yellow gate that was wide open, consists of two rows of fences with gatesinfo-icon, protected by barbed wire.  The soldiers were checking IDs near the internal gate, which people approached one by one.  Passage was swift.  People said they arrive around 05:30 for a scheduled opening at 05:55. In fact it opened at 06:02.  People complained that some soldiers try to "educate them" -- telling them to move back, or to put of the fire started got heat, and altogether delaying them.

 
 

Long term problems to deal with:

1.  Opening hours.  A widespread wish for 12 hours, as was beforehand. Complaints that the soldiers leave on the minute.

2.  Paths:  By court order, the security fence was moved, but with no cosideration of trffic patterns.  There are no paths for tractors and pedestrians, posing a particular hardship in winter. 3.  Seasonal gates.  Some gates are only opened for limited hours seasonally, as the army determines, creating a huge gap between actual needs and what is afforded.  E.g., olive trees and herbs require year round access.  The farmers plead for this possibility.

4.  Internal gates.  Some plots are sorrounded by barbed wire against boars. The army has unilaterally locked them, and only the soldiers have the keys. The farmers hence depend on them, but they often cannot be reached.  So they cannot tend the plots which they themselves surrounded with the wire.

We intend to get more detailed information about the gates from the village councils.

5.  Rain shelters.  The villagers constructed, at their own expense, a small covered shelter, in addition the cement one provided by the army. But on the other side, the shelter -- which is the army's responsibility -- is torn all over, and has not been repaired or replaced, leaving them exposed to the elements.

6.  Licenses.  We heard complaints that 14 year olds cannot pass unaccompanied by their fathers.  And the grownups who applied for passage renewal in early December have not yet received them.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Falamiya South (CP 965)  6:40- 7:20



The soldiers and jeep arrive soon after us.  Two minutes later, people and tractors start arriving.  The gate opened at 06;45.  About 22-25 people passed, including 2 older women.  They seeemd to be families. The people said that the soldiers' attitude varies.  Passage was swift.



Here too there are two gates, and the soldiers man the further one. People arrive by vehicles at the first, descend and walk to the second for the check, then the drivers return to their vehicles.