Sabah al kheir, mami… (good morning, sweetie…)

Place:

'Anin

Barta'a-Reihan

Tayba-Rummana

Tags:

Breach in the separation fence

Separation fence

Observers:

Neta Golan and Shuli Bar (report and photos)

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Jun-15-2022

Morning

Barta'a checkpoint: The shed is filling up

Photo:

Shuli Bar

Barta'a checkpoint: The shed has been emptied

Photo:

Shuli Bar

Barta’a checkpoint 5:45

Lately Palestinians have been complaining about harsh crowding here at the early morning hours, we got here at quarter to six a.m. We were surprised to find the shed leading through the turnstiles into the terminal nearly empty. At the same time, the entrance ‘sleeve info-icon ’ into the terminal was full. But within 10 minutes it emptied into the terminal and then the shed filled out again. Passage was halted, entrance ‘sleeve’ emptied again. Thus it continued until about 6:30.

The atmosphere was calm, no signs of stress and pressure, and people mainly chatted. Although opening time has been moved to 4 a.m., most people begin to arrive only at 4:30, and the critical mass of workers arrives between 5 and 6 a.m. After 7:30 the merchants arrive, and then passage is rather fluid.

Thoughts 1: Until the shed at Barta’a checkpoint was built, the waiting line stood in the open air at all seasons. Then a half-open shed was erected, which did not help anyone when it rained. When the metal shed was put up, with partitions that create narrow waiting lines – it looked to us like cattle corrals, and we complained about it with all the dramatic associations. Is this upgrade a necessary evil? It might not solve the conflict, but certainly makes things easier.

Thoughts 2: In the years when Palestinians crossed over through the breaches in the fence at all hours of the day and night, a really good time for both sides of the conflict began. Next to the breaches we saw people happy to work for their livelihood, even go to the beach when they wished. But the actual passage through the breaches was and looked entirely surreal. A daily farce. Then the latest terrorist attacks came, and the top brass and politicians chickened out. Afraid they would be held responsible. The breaches – which were good for everyone (including smugglers, thieves and criminals) were closed and to make things sure, sleepy, idle guards were placed there at all hours. Soon these too will disappear. Work permits are not issued more easily and to more people, and cheap labor streamed into Israel-proper somehow continues.

And now we heard about new breaches so chances are that the surreal picture of reality will be repeated, not at all surreal.

As a dessert: someone this morning greeted Neta with ‘Sabah al kheir, mami… (good morning, sweetie)" and we both had a good laugh all the way to the Tayibe-Roumana checkpoint.

Tayibe-Roumana Agricultural Checkpoint 6:30 a.m.

Three persons and a tractor crossed over to their olive tree groves in the small seam zone situated below the Arab town of Umm Al Fahm. We had a moving meeting with tractor-owner Mahmid, whom we hadn’t seen for a long time.

Here too, the stars are the fence guards sitting there day and night behind camouflage sheets, doing nothing. The terrorist attacks that keep happening inside Israel have nothing to do with them, nor with the closed breaches in the fence.

According to local Palestinians, the boys who put up barriers on the way to the checkpoint and probably charged the breach-crossers passage money are now sitting in jail. We do not know why.

Anin agricultural checkpoint 6:50 a.m.

About 70 people from Anin village crossed over to the seam zone. They say they are headed to the tree groves, but obviously not all of them. One of the older fellows asked us to arrange with the army that the opening days of the checkpoint be changed from Monday and Wednesday, to Monday and Thursday – Monday and Wednesday are too close together and it’s not good for whoever stays overnight inside Israel…

Location Description

Anin agricultural checkpoint

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located on the Separation Fence east of the Israeli community Mei Ami and close to the village of Anin in the West Bank. It is opened twice a week, morning and afternoon, for periods of time that are growing shorter Lith time. It is meant for Anin farmers whose olive groves have been separated from the village by the fence. Transit permits are only issued to those who can produce ownership documents for their caged-in land, and sometimes only to the head of the family or his widow, eldest son and children. At times the inheritors lose their right to tend to the family’s land. The permits are eked out and are re-issued only with difficulty. 55-year old persons may cross the checkpoint (into Israel) without special permits. During the olive harvest season (about one month around October) the checkpoint is open every day and more transit permits are issued. Names of persons eligible to cross are held in the soldiers’ computers. In July 2007, a sweeping instruction was issued according to which whoever does not return to the village through this checkpoint in the afternoon will be stripped of his transit permit when he shows up there next time. Since 2019, the checkpoint has not been allways locked with the seam-line zone gate (1 of 3 gates info-icon ), and the fence around it has been broken in several sites.

Tayba-Rummana'

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Tayba-Rummana is an agricultural checkpoint. It is located in the separation fence in front of the eastern slopes of the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm.
The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rummana. Dozens of dunams of olive groves were removed from their owners, the residents of these villages on the western side of the separation fence.
The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rumna. Dozens of olives dunams were removed from these villages' residents and swallowed up in a narrow strip of space, on the western side of the separation fence.
The checkpoint allows the plantation owners who have permits to pass. Twice a week, the checkpoint opens for fifteen minutes in the morning and evening.
During the harvest season, it opens every day for fifteen minutes in the morning (around 0630) and fifteen minutes in the afternoon (around 1530).
(February 2020).

Mar-11-2024

Shuli Bar

The huge wall at the Taiba Romana checkpoint. The checkpoint is closed. But people pass

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Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

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This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).

Tayba-Rummana

See all reports for this place

Tayba-Rummana
is an agricultural checkpoint. It is located in the separation fence in front of the eastern slopes of the Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm.
The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rummana. Dozens of dunams of olive groves were removed from their owners, the residents of these villages on the western side of the separation fence.
The Palestinian villages next to the checkpoint are Khirbet Tayba and Rumna. Dozens of olives dunams were removed from these villages' residents and swallowed up in a narrow strip of space, on the western side of the separation fence.
The checkpoint allows the plantation owners who have permits to pass. Twice a week, the checkpoint opens for fifteen minutes in the morning and evening.
During the harvest season, it opens every day for fifteen minutes in the morning (around 0630) and fifteen minutes in the afternoon (around 1530).
(February 2020).

Mar-11-2024

Shuli Bar

The huge wall at the Taiba Romana checkpoint. The checkpoint is closed. But people pass

View the full album