Anata checkpoint - First Friday of Ramadan

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Observers: 
Rachel Weinberg, Orit Dekel (reporting); Translator:  Charles K.
May-10-2019
|
Morning

Anata checkpoint - First Friday of Ramadan

We arrived at about 9:45.

No particular activity was visible at the checkpoint to prepare for worshippers heading to prayer on the first Friday of Ramadan.

We bypassed the checkpoint on foot to Anata in order to see whether any unusual number of worshippers were headed toward the exit – and were again surprised that there wasn’t.

We went through the pedestrian checkpoint, surprising the Border Police soldiers, and at the exit, as we stood near the inspection booth, the police officers descended on us from every position.  They cordially but stubbornly asked us to move to a spot at the margins of the checkpoint. “The crossing here is from blue to blue - for people with blue ID card, residents of Jerusalem and Israel,” they explained, so there’s no problem.

Meanwhile there was considerable automobile traffic.  Each car was carefully inspected.  We didn’t see any that were not allowed to cross.

One lane was for buses – all passengers had to get off and could board again only after their documents were inspected.  From where we stood we could see at least two women who were not allowed to reboard, but we weren’t able to talk with them and understand what the problem was.

At about 11:15 we decided there was no point in staying.