Others

Bkaot is on road 57 which connects Jenin, Tubas, and Nablus with the Jordan Valley.
This is the only way for Palestinians from this area to reach Jericho or to go to Jordan border passages. The checkpoint is positioned just at the Bkaot crossroad. The pedestrian passage is infrequent, though people who live in villages around are allowed to pass without permits.
The main problem is vehicle movement which is very slow. The checkpoint is open from 4 a.m. till 9-10 p.m. Locals reported that in the early morning, the waiting time Eastbound can be up to 4 hrs. On afternoons it is westbound which is long and difficult. The checkpoint has two checking points, East and West. Upon our arrival we were met by the commander, who said we are not allowed, as Israelis, to pass West. This restriction is genuine. Indeed, a Palestinian woman with an Israeli ID was also not allowed to cross the checkpoint (to attend a wedding).

We contacted the local DCO and complained about a very long waiting time Eastbound - over an hour in the heat of the day. They were cooperative, but we didn't wait for the promised aid. There are no special arrangements for humanitarian cases. We were told that a very ill child on his way to Jericho hospital had to wait for hours in a line, the soldiers wouldn't allow a transit with this child to bypass the queue. Car checks were very slow. One soldier was pointing his gun towards a car from a distance and another one was checking it.