Barta'a checkpoint: returned to being very active in the mornings

15:20 – Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

An empty truck on its way to the West Bank, is delayed at the vehicle inspection checkpoint.  Behind this truck, another six cars pass through quickly to the West Bank.  Two workers return from work in the Seamline Zone and a family from Daher-al-Malac (in the Seamline Zone) pass through with food for a family visit in Ya’bed (in the West Bank). The passage is fast.  Next to the checkpoint and army installation, in the agricultural section, where for many continuous years they grew only tobacco, (in order to save the tilled land), there are seedling olive trees.

15:45 – Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

The checkpoint is noisy with life.  In the upper parking lot there are drivers who have permits who offer rides to Shechem on the road that bypasses the checkpoint. Hundreds of workers go down the sleeve (the enclosed pathway to the terminal), on their way home.  At the kiosk, which is in the sleeve, there is great activity and four settlers work there energetically to supply rugelach for Shabbat.  Next to the kiosk, a dealer sells telephone cards and there is a great demand.  In front of the turnstile that leads to the exit from the checkpoint, there is a very long line.

At the exit from the terminal, in the direction of the Seamline Zone, they added an additional turnstile, in order to hasten the exit to work in the morning.   However, people continue to complain about the crowding in the morning next to the conveyer belt that inspects packages.  We weren’t successful in finding out how many conveyer belts there are—one or two—but in any case, there aren’t enough, and the crowding in the morning continues to increase.

At the checkpoint there is traffic also in the direction from Jenin to Barta’a, and people return with packages.