Tarqumiya

Tarqumiya Tuesday morning, 25 January 2005Observers: Aviva W., Yael Z (reporting)Arrived at the CP at 5.30, on the way we saw 5 cars full of laborers on their way to work. It is still dark at this hour, and the soldiers use the Jeep's lights to check the peoples' documents.They call all the passengers of each car that comes, so there was no line queued up, passage took only a few minutes.We counted about 550 people who passed till 6.45. Then Ata from the Red Cross arrived, escorting 6 buses with family members going to visit detainees in the Hasharon Prison [in Israel]. In the meantime the Israeli buses [that take the families on the Israeli leg of their journey] arrived at the other side of the CP and the police escort arrived at 7.00.We left at 7.00 as there were not any more laborers coming and everything seemed to be running smoothly.