'Anabta, Ar-Ras, Azzun, Jit, Jubara (Kafriat), Qalqiliya, Mon 19.11.07, Morning

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Observers: 
Ronnie S. Osnat R. (reporting) Natanya translating.
Nov-19-2007
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Morning

Ras-Atiah.  6.30

The road is empty at the crossroads of Alfei Menash up to the checkpoint. The latter is still closed.  The soldiers are getting organised. Workers are waiting on the other side of the fence but the gatesinfo-icon on both sides are closed so that one cannot get near the checkpoint itself.

6.40

A car with a resident of Ras Tirah who has lands on the other side comes up. It seems that the checkpoint is often opened late and they are used to it. He says that the present soldiers are decent but that sometimes there are border police who harass them. For example there is especially one of the women soldiers who did not want to let his pregnant wife through without going pass the x-ray machine and she had to go to Ras Tirah ( 5 minutes away) And there through Qalqiliya. Ronnie gave her her phone number so as to be in touch should this happen again.

6.45

The checkpoint opens and 20 workers go to be checked.

6.55

 Most of the workers have gone through. A van arrives from Ras Atiah  and everyone including the driver gets out at the side of the road and go through the pedestrian lane and 10 minutes later comes back  and then the car is checked. From the direction of Ras Tirah into the West Bank they do not go through the x-ray device and only IDs and parcels are checked.

Eliyahu passage 7.20

Here there is such an outstanding example of the lack of equality between the citizens of the state. A long line of cars most of them Israeli wait while the cars of the settlers go through with no checking. And who knows who is sitting in these cars. A long line of workers wait and it is lucky that there is no rain.

Qalqiliya 7.25 

 20 cars leaving the city with few checks only questions. 10 minutes to a car. Because of the line is takes 20 minutes to pass. A volunteer of the "envelope"  who was a master sergeant at camp 80 with the appropriate moustache checks the cars together with a border policeman in an efficient way. Now and again a car is stopped so as to write down the number of the ID but it is done quickly.  Female soldiers stand and chat and do nothing to help. There is no line at the end.

Azzun 8.00 

No checkpoint.

Checkpoint of Jit 8.15  

No checkpoint.

Anabta 9.30 

At Beit Iba we were told that there are many problems here for the last few days and that today they waited an hour to leave Tulkarm. When we arrived there were 30-40 cars and we could not see the end of the line. At the entrance no line.

There are many captains there, a captain and two sergeants. The captain comes up and asks who we are and as soon as he heard who we were shouted to his friends to close the checkpoint.  When he saw that we were beginning to phone he shouted to the soldiers to start passing people through.  After 5 minutes only 10 cars were left and at 9.42 none at all.

 

9.50

The captain disappears and the usual soldiers remain. It seems to be a change of shift and the checkpoint closed for five minutes and 15 cars arrived.  Random checkinginfo-icon

10.07

7 cars. 

Jubara and the childrens' gate 10.30 

 3 illegal workers whom we saw free when we went back to A-Ras.

A-ras

3 cars at the exit and random checking. Reserve soldiers and the area is quiet.