'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Thu 22.5.08, Morning

The gates are open since 06:00 and people are passing at a reasonable pace.

06:40 – all, according to one of the soldiers, approximately 70 men, have passed. The soldiers want to lock the gates, but two older women, one coughing badly, want to return to Aanin. The soldiers, new to this sector, ponder a while, then let the women return. "List them," one says to his comrade. Very important, so they shouldn’t be considered to have violated the conditions of the permit.

06:55 Shaked-Tura Checkpoint

Heavy fog blankets the checkpoint. The gates are already open and a DCO vehicle is parked between them. Young schoolchildren are waiting in the dark in the hut. Others arrive, and all pass quickly, without a check. Perhaps 20 people and three flocks are waiting beyond the fence. One of the transients says that the presence of a DCO representative helps. Less vehicular traffic than usual.

07:20 – the fog begins to lift and the cars familiar to us begin to arrive.

7:40 Reihan-Bartaa Checkpoint

One of the people coming out of the terminal, to the Seam Zone, says that today is good, transit of the terminal takes few minutes. Another man, father of a sick child hospitalised in Rambam Hospital (Haifa), is waiting for us to give him a lift. He has been here since 06:00 and tells us that early in the morning there was pressure and transit of the terminal took half an hour.

The workers in East Bartaa arrive from the West Bank in small groups and are swallowed into the terminal.

08:30 – we leave as eight loaded pick up trucks are waiting in the Palestinian parking lot, while four others are inside the inspection compound.

In front of the upper vehicle checkpoint three cars are waiting to enter the West Bank. Drivers and passengers, nine in all, are waiting on benches in the shade of the new roof, next to the slide and plant pots. A car is being checked with the help of a dog, and its barking disturbs the fake pastoral scene.