Jalama, Reihan, Shaked, Tue 17.3.09, Afternoon

We arrived at Jalameh with Aya and her mother and were greeted by the blue-uniformed shift manager whom I had met here last time.  He recognized Aya’s mother and asked who the people were whom we brought each time.  We explained that the child was receiving dialysis treatment at Rambam Hospital and we drove them back each time.  To me, whom he also recognized, he reminded again not to photograph the checkpoint.  Our documents state that we are permitted to photograph at military checkpoints, but not civilian ones.  Since Jalameh is a “legitimate” civilian border passage point we think that perhaps it is time to approach the Border Passage Authority and ask for permission to photograph the civilian border crossing points.

There is light pedestrian traffic of Palestinians returning to the West Bank: women with babies in the arms or with huge bundles of belongings skillfully balanced on their heads.  A few Israeli Arabs also passed through on their way back from the West Bank.

16:00 Shaked Tura Checkpoint
The flock is grazing along the road, the old shepherd prodding them along.  He stops to talk with us and to complain that his son has been without a permit for the past 90 days.  A single taxi is being checked, and the herd from the “lone house” passes through the checkpoint.  All is quiet and we leave for Reihan.

16:30 Reihan-Barta’a Checkpoint
The lower parking lot is full of cars, mostly private vehicles, and a few people trickle out of the terminal.  Workers begin to arrive in groups of a half a dozen or so and we go up to the sleeve.  There is only one window open, and there are about a dozen men waiting outside the turnstile.  People are admitted inside in groups of a half a dozen.
A., the driver tells us that a family who has no father is badly in need of a refrigerator.  We tell him we’ll pass the word along and see what we can do.

The barking of the dogs under the shed echo in the distance as we leave at 17:15.