'Anabta, Ar-Ras, Jubara (Kafriat), Thu 12.6.08, Afternoon

17:10 Anabta Checkpoint

The checkpoint is almost empty

Few vehicles are passing rapidly with no delays. Occasionaly a wave of vehicles arrives but they too go through in two or three minutes. From time to time a vehicle is stopped for a more thorough inspection.

We continue on our way to Jubara.

17:30 Jubara Checkpoint.

Very few vehicles.  We ask the soldiers to open the gate and they respond instantly.

At the Children's Gate one of the soldiers asks to see our ID cards, but a second soldier asks him to let us through.

A-ras Checkpoint.

Thin stream of vehicles. Those leaving Tulkarm are inspected very thoroughly.

Those who enter Tulkarm go through without inspection, but there are spikes on the road that force the drivers  to drive around them. The soldiers say that it was done to slow them down.

Pedestrians arrive from the direction of Jubara. They had finished their day's work and go through without delays.

A nice old man leaning on a cane is walking from Jubara to the chekpoint. He sits down by the road side.

The soldiers report that he is an illegal  - he had crossed over to Taibeh without a permit, and his identity card has been taken by the soldiers at the Children's Gate. He is sitting there, waiting for the soldiers to bring him back his ID card. One of the soldiers brings him a bottle of cold water. Ten minutes later a Jeep arrives with his ID card and the soldiers start to interview him.

18:00 We go back to Jubara. After waiting for a few minutes one of the soldiers comes over to open the gate for us but he insists on seeing all our ID cards before letting us through.