Northern checkpoints: What are the checkpoints needed for?
7.35 - 5.45
Route 611 to Barta’a Checkpoint 05:45
The East Barta’a Junction is quiet. Workers were arriving through the openings in the security fence and being picked up by contractors. The coffee vendor’s booth was already open.
There was already a small parking lot on the side of the road opposite the hole in the fence next to the village of Karkis, and five small trucks were waiting to pick up workers who were arriving from the Palestinian village. We also parked there and watched the village as vehicles with workers continued to arrive.
Barta’a Checkpoint 05:55 - The parking lot was filling up with workers, some of whom were getting into vehicles and some who were waiting for rides. The place was noisy like a central bus station with drivers shouting their destinations but besides that everything was quiet and routine. The workers were not in a hurry and the terminal was not crowded. They sat next to the kiosk and drank coffee. The Palestinian parking lots were not yet full.
A’anin Checkpoint – 06:25
The checkpoint was quiet. M. and his son arrived with their tractor at 06:30 and the soldiers arrived two minutes later. The two vehicles stood opposite each other with only the locked gate of the checkpoint separating them.
It was already 11 minutes later when the soldiers finally got out of their car and opened the checkpoint. M. is the only resident of the village who drives to work and does not cross through the holes in the fence.