Gochiya checkpoint, which is opposite Beqaot settlement, is a metal bar blocking a dirt road in the Jordan Valley that prevents residents living in the eastern Jordan Valley from travelling freely to the western Jordan Valley and back again. This checkpoint, which is supposed to open only three times a week for half an hour (and usually doesn’t open at all), prevents residents living in the eastern Jordan Valley from accessing the town of Tamun, for example, which serves as a regional urban center. They’re prevented from maintaining contact with family members, obtaining medical treatment, getting to school and shopping, etc. Children from the eastern Jordan Valley are compelled to live during the week with families in Tamun to insure they are able to attend school regularly. The locals must make long detours, and risk severe punishment if they’re caught. In order to prevent them from bypassing the checkpoint, the IDF dug a series of long, deep ditches around the checkpoint and created very high earthen berms.
