Denied passage to 16-30-years olds from Jenin
Tulkarm checkpoints
Irtah: 06:10 - 06:30 -
The gates
of the facility are closed, and the place is empty. A few score workers are waiting at the entrance on the Palestinian Authority end. Near the closed gates, a few transportation drivers are also waiting. A soldier in a cruising jeep had told them the facility would open at seven. A phone call to the DCO is unanswered.
At the Humanitarian Hotline, the answer is that the closure is still on.10:15 (on our way back) - the gates are now open, but only for the busses of families of prisoners.
Anabta08:20-08:50 (on our way back from Beit Iba) -
The passage from Tulkarm is very slow, though vehicles pass without checking, and queues form. This is because each car is waved on separately and then has to make its way cautiously through the potholes flanking the checkpoint. The soldiers say there is a separation: no 16-30-years olds from Jenin can pass here (or elsewhere). We see one young man sent back, but otherwise, taxis, trucks, cars & pedestrians pass almost freely. An elegant elderly man carrying parcels passes on foot, apparently because this is quicker, and murmurs in Hebrew: "Life is hard". Another one tells us that the potholes are much worse down the road via Tulkarm. He says the municipality tried to fix it, but the army claimed this is Israeli territory. Hopefully when the road is fixed (as promised) that part will be dealt with as well.
Jubara Ar-Ras09:00-10:00 -
At Ar-Ras a soldier refuses to inform us about restrictions. "Whenever I'm here I won't answer you. "Sababa?" [a slang word for 'Happy]?'
Sure, "sababa".The vehicles today are checked very carefully, both upon exiting Tulkarm and (this is unusual) entering the city. Only two soldiers do this, one checks, and the other stands with a pointed gun. Another soldier does the same from up the post. One soldier has been busy eating for 20 minutes. Drivers get nervous, some begin to shout. Just as I was going to call the Humanitarian Hotline reinforcement arrived. The second lieutenant in charge says the separation of Jenin is relevant to all checkpoints, but here in Ar-Ras, all cars come from Tulkarm