Reihan, Shaked, Mon 21.7.08, Afternoon
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Observers:
Ricky Y. and Ruthy T.
Jul-21-2008
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Afternoon
Translation: Devorah K.
14:50 A'anin CP
Many men, boys, and children are waiting for the gates
to open. Many of them are sitting in the shade of the olive trees. Eight tractors, seven donkeys. A tractor is smoothing the dirt road near the fence and raising thick dust.
14:50 A'anin CP
Many men, boys, and children are waiting for the gates
to open. Many of them are sitting in the shade of the olive trees. Eight tractors, seven donkeys. A tractor is smoothing the dirt road near the fence and raising thick dust.
More soldiers than usual open the gate at 3 o'clock, but they do not open it wide - only enough to let one or two people through. For a tractor to pass, they open it wider. Examination of the documents is done very quickly. The first tractor goes through in a few seconds. When there is pressure on the gate, the Palestinians are those who impose order, after a soldier scolds them. Sometimes it takes the soldiers a long time to find the names of those returning to A'anin in the lists.
At 15:35, most of the soldiers leave. A few people are still waiting at the gate. We go quickly to the Barta'a CP.
15:50 Reihan/Barta'a CP
H. is waiting for us impatiently in the upper parking lot. He has a form that he has to hand in to the DCO. A young Palestinian mother and her daughter, who is about five, were not allowed to go through the CP to the West Bank, because the child was listed not in her mother's documents, but in those of her Israeli father. They are waiting for him to come. He arrives at 16:10 and accompanies them to the terminal in order to present his documents and now the child refuses to leave him. She is taken away by her mother against her will.
Many workers go through quickly. The turnstile locks occasionally for a short time. Only rarely does somebody get here from the West Bank. They say that passage takes about half an hour. Many of those returning home complain about the nerve-wracking passage in the morning. One of them tells us that in the morning he prefers to go through the Efraim gate: "It is better, faster." Another person tells us that he usually goes through in Tul-Karem: "Two thousand workers in two minutes." He works for a contractor in Hadera. He wastes half of his wages on traveling. No - he is not being reimbursed for the traveling expenses to and from work.
16:55 - We go down to the lower parking lot on the Palestinian side. Three cars are waiting to go through to the West Bank. Four cars going in the other direction are being inspected, and one is waiting in the parking lot. A young fellow tells us with a great deal of feeling that at the Dothan CP a soldier did not allow him to take fodder and water through for his herd of cows and sheep. Sometimes they do allow him; today they did not. He was a security prisoner and spent four years in prison. He asks for our help. His father and brothers, who also own herds of sheep and cows, are trying to help him. We have his personal details.
From the direction of the vehicle inspection pavilion, we can hear a security guard, who works for the firm that operates the CP, arguing loudly and rudely with one of the drivers, whose voice is not heard: "You were given weapons, you were given cars, you were given everything you needed. Sure ... good for you. If you talk that way and I talk that way, sure there will never be peace." We thought it right to report to the head of the CP on this peculiar "conversation", but we couldn't find him.
17:45 - Shaked - Tura
At 15:35, most of the soldiers leave. A few people are still waiting at the gate. We go quickly to the Barta'a CP.
15:50 Reihan/Barta'a CP
H. is waiting for us impatiently in the upper parking lot. He has a form that he has to hand in to the DCO. A young Palestinian mother and her daughter, who is about five, were not allowed to go through the CP to the West Bank, because the child was listed not in her mother's documents, but in those of her Israeli father. They are waiting for him to come. He arrives at 16:10 and accompanies them to the terminal in order to present his documents and now the child refuses to leave him. She is taken away by her mother against her will.
Many workers go through quickly. The turnstile locks occasionally for a short time. Only rarely does somebody get here from the West Bank. They say that passage takes about half an hour. Many of those returning home complain about the nerve-wracking passage in the morning. One of them tells us that in the morning he prefers to go through the Efraim gate: "It is better, faster." Another person tells us that he usually goes through in Tul-Karem: "Two thousand workers in two minutes." He works for a contractor in Hadera. He wastes half of his wages on traveling. No - he is not being reimbursed for the traveling expenses to and from work.
16:55 - We go down to the lower parking lot on the Palestinian side. Three cars are waiting to go through to the West Bank. Four cars going in the other direction are being inspected, and one is waiting in the parking lot. A young fellow tells us with a great deal of feeling that at the Dothan CP a soldier did not allow him to take fodder and water through for his herd of cows and sheep. Sometimes they do allow him; today they did not. He was a security prisoner and spent four years in prison. He asks for our help. His father and brothers, who also own herds of sheep and cows, are trying to help him. We have his personal details.
From the direction of the vehicle inspection pavilion, we can hear a security guard, who works for the firm that operates the CP, arguing loudly and rudely with one of the drivers, whose voice is not heard: "You were given weapons, you were given cars, you were given everything you needed. Sure ... good for you. If you talk that way and I talk that way, sure there will never be peace." We thought it right to report to the head of the CP on this peculiar "conversation", but we couldn't find him.
17:45 - Shaked - Tura
There is a queue of four cars in front of the entrance gate in the direction of the West Bank. This is an extraordinary sight in this CP. It turns out that the CP suddenly closed for more than an hour and has just been reopened. The drivers came back. Now the passage is quick.