Rihan

Rihan, Saturday, November 27, 2004, AMObservers: Sarit A., Yonat Y., Noa G., Noa L. (reporting)08:30 - 11:30A cold, rainy Saturday, active traffic, closure still in force and no one at the checkpoint knows why and for how much longer. The meaning of the closure at this spot is that there is no passage to the West Bank for Arab residents of Israel.The soldiers inspect pedestrians as well as vehicles in a swift and strict manner. At times they check three cars simultaneously. No delays, no detainees; most pass through quickly. A pickup truck loaded with tobacco was let in, and the driver was asked to whom he was delivering the goods.The remodeled checkpoint operates with the same regulations as before: An inspection post for pedestrians, and at quite a distance from it, an inspection post for vehicles in both directions. Traffic to and from Barta'a is on the security road. No detainees. The waiting shed protects those waiting from the rain. Small hand bags are inspected while being held, but the bigger bags are inspected on the ground, by the table. To our question, the soldiers explained that checking on the ground is preferred from the security point of view and add that both the ground and the table are wet from the rain. Later we observed inspection of bags on the table.Major problem: When we arrived we found in the shed a group of about 15 workers. They told us that some of them are owners of lands near Barta'a, and others are workers who were hired for olive picking. They all had valid permits (until November 30 or for six months). The permits specify that they can go through gate number 12-13, which is closed today, or through Rihan checkpoint. On previous days they got in through Rihan, but today they are not allowed to do so.The soldiers explained to us that this is an order from high above. We turned to the District Coordination Office (DCO) representative, who was courteous with us. We were promised that they would come up with an answer, and indeed they did get back to us saying that the olive picking season was over, and that those permits were valid for that period only, There are high alerts now, they said (at this point in time it is rather difficult to know if such threats indeed exist, or if this is kind of a trump card that is pulled out time and again, knowing for sure that we have nothing to say in light of such an excuse). But in short, there is no passage. After consulting with each other, we turned to the brigade headquarters. Again we were answered politely. They listened to our detailed description, promised to look into it and finally did get back to us with an answer. The entire process took about four hours, in which the workers had to wait idly. The final answer was received when we were on our way home: All the workers passed through.We were happy, but our joy was apparently premature. The Israeli contractor who had waited for the workers, and whom we called on the way, said that in the end the workers weren't allowed in, and they all went home. The telephone connection may have been unclear, because we were told at an early stage that permission to cross was granted. It was hard to tell for certain how that incident ended. It is obvious that we need to be extra aware of the issue of the passage of workers into their own lands.Other issues: On our way home, we were stopped by a man who was born in the village of Ya'abed (in the West Bank), but currently lives in Arara (Israel). He holds a blue (Israeli) ID card and is the father of seven. He has been working for the past 22 years in a hospital in Jenin, and now he is unable to get to work. We provided him with telephone and fax numbers of Shiran Asher along with an explanation as to how to approach her. We exchanged telephone numbers.At the checkpoint we met an Israeli Jewish woman, a representative of an organization called "Sindyanna of Galilee - Marketing Olive Products by the Principles of Fair Trade." We were given a brochure, and it seems like an impressive and efficient organization. She came to pick up produce from farmers of the West Bank. The quantities were greater than five boxes and they drove on both sides of the fence to the Jalama CP.A soldier told us that he read in "Maariv" (an Israeli daily newspaper) an interview with Aya Kanyuk, who said that all the soldiers are war criminals. According to him, it is difficult to promote a dialogue when people write in such a way.