Habla Checkpoint (1393)
We arrived early and as usual the pastoral atmosphere of the place hits us – so beautiful and quiet, and makes so many people miserable.
And then on the system road two swift bicycle riders, dressed in bicycle riders costumes, arrive. They come from the direction of Ras A Tira and drive in the direction of Azun Atma – strange.
How come they are allowed to exercise there and we aren’t even allowed to approach? At 06:40 they return and now they are already 4!
06:30 The first persons enter to be checked and come out within 5 minutes. During the entire shift the passage is quick and everything is performed at ease and efficiently. A from the plant nursery comes and stands for the arrangement of the queue. He has no work today. The queues never grow but exit all the time. Over 100 people passed.
3 persons were sent back as the date of their permits has expired.
Two cars were ordered to stand to the side as they contained refrigerators (and plants as well) and those need a special permit. The fact that they are required to cool drinks for the workers in the summer seems unnatural. The soldiers investigate and in the end the cars pass.
About 8 people from the Al Parduss plant nursery pass, all wearing blue shirts with the nursery badge in front and at the back
guess in what language? – Hebrew, of course. There is not one word in Arabic – how sad. They bent in this too in order to make a living, and adopt the conqueror’s habits.
A car waits in order to let pedestrians pass before it drives through the CP in the direction of Habla. At that moment a police car emerges behind it and the driver hoots – move away already.
When I asked him whether he was pressed for time and whether he preferred people to be run over, a long discussion with me ensued – for this he had time. In the end he accelerated and turned into the system road, and then the soldiers were angry that he drove without their permission.
We again heard complaints that it was impossible to renew permits. The situation is difficult.
The opening hours of the gate in the morning are now: 06:60-08:00.