'Azzun 'Atma, Thu 4.9.08, Morning

5:30 Azun Atma

We reached the village entrance which is blocked with stones. The workers we met said "What a pity you did not come yesterday. The queues were very long. Today the passage is faster".  
 

After passing all the obstacles we took a taxi to the checkpoint on the other side of the village which is surrounded by the Fence and is on the border with the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority. And what is the village itself? A Palestinian village with a Fence and a checkpoint  towards Palestine and a possiblity of crossing over to Israel on foot.

 

Z. the checkpoint commander did not let us stand near the checkpoint, only at a distance of 30 metres. Our requests went unheeded. He instructed the soldiers to close the checkpoint as long as we did not move away. We had to move away.

 

Workers are passing through the checkpoint speedily. (They have no carrier bags with food because of the Ramadan). There is a long queue of cars, about 30. Cars are being thoroughly inspected. At the end of the week there are also workers returning from a week's work. During the week they live in Kafr Kassem. Workers who worked at night in the quarry return. The work is organised in three shifts. 

 

At the entrance to the checkpoint there are cars which have been there for over an hour. Only after the whole queue of cars at the checkpoint pass they are checking those entering.

 

To sum up - A Palestinian living beyond the checkpoint, in order to enter Israel, has to go through the inspection at the checkpoint, take a taxi through the village to the blocked side , and then await a different vehicle which will pick him up and take him to his place of work .