Today is the eighteenth day of the Gaza War.
06:15 Reihan-Barta'a CP
Those who come early have already gone through. The last of the seamstresses arrive at the CP and go through at this time. Our friend, the driver A., says that during the last two days the Mavo Dothan-Ameriha CP was opened at 05:10. On the days before that it opened at 04:20 and then the workers could get to the Reihan CP before it opened at 05:00.
One car is being inspected; the dog is barking; four pickup trucks are already waiting for inspection.
06:45 Eleven pickup trucks are waiting. The procedures for transporting eggs have changed. The criterion is no longer thirty trays per pickup truck; instead they are allowed to transport 750 trays per day in three pickup trucks, i.e. 250 in each truck.
There is very little traffic in the CP. A taxi is waiting for the workers from the night shift in Shahak to drive them to their homes in Arabeh in the region of Jenin.
07:00 Shaked-Tura CP
The gate on the side of the seamline zone is open, but two additional gates
are still locked.
07:10 they open the gates. The first pupil arrives; after him the children from the isolated house arrive walking between the fences.
We are told that tomorrow the vacation between semesters begins in the schools, and it will last for twelve days.
07:20 The first car goes through from the West Bank to the seamline zone. About twenty people crowd in front of the turnstile at the entrance to the inspection pavilion. Tamar times how long it takes one of those waiting to go through to the seamline zone: more than a quarter of an hour. It seems that it takes less for a car to go through than for a pedestrian and indeed a farmer with a car is waiting impatiently for his friends. All of them have olive groves near Umm a-Reihan. One of the drivers points to the clear skies and says: "There is no rain, only the rain of missiles."
08:05 Back to the Reihan-Barta'a CP
Workers and merchants from East Barta'a are leaving the upper parking lot. We went down the sleeve to the opening of the terminal. Only one inspection post is open. But the tempo of passage is reasonable.
A Palestinian worker is sweeping the concrete floor of the sleeve. As is appropriate in an orderly organization, he has a tag with his name.
Workers from Jenin, who work in Barta'a, are waiting for their taxi to go through.
08:40 Drivers complain that there is no work. M. tells us that because of the war people with work permits in Israel do not go out to work. They are afraid to stay in Israel. On the dusty window at the back of one of the cars, the picture of the war has been traced by a finger: a plane and a helicopter releasing bombs.
09:00 To our surprise, only four pickup trucks are waiting at this time. We leave the CP.
