Habla Checkpoint (1393)

Opening hours:  6:00 - 7:30

In response to a complaint and request rendered on Shabbat, during a MachsomWatch tour,  by Z., a son from the clan of Abu Wordah who lives near Alphei Menasheh, we arrived for a meeting with him at 6:00.  The complaint was that the exit to road #55 was blocked from the main dirt road which the residents of that village use.  As a result, the school buses and the private cars bringing supplies for feeding and taking care of the flocks were not able to reach the village as they had in the past.  There had been no sufficient warning about this - they were notified about this change and, before they were able to organize themselves and retain a lawyer, within 2 days, the work was completed during 2 nights while the people of the village were not even aware of this and were not able to stop it.  On Shabbat, Hannah and Ruti submitted a report in which they described the sequence of events. As Hannah described it, there is another exit and entrance to the village which are not blocked, but, when we were there on location we realized that this road is not suitable for large vehicles, and certainly not for buses (for collecting the students and bringing them home), and  not for trucks (for materials for raising and feeding their flocks).  They are requesting that the blocks be removed as they are directly harming the residents.  We said we would try to help.

Later, at the checkpoint, we also spoke with the nursery owner, A. (who had brought the issue to the notice of Hannah and Ruti), and he said that he was going to meet with the responsible people in the army and police about changing the entrance to the nurseries and would also bring up the subject about the passage into the village of Abu Wordah.  Meanwhile, we will wait to hear what comes out of this conversation.  Nina also made an appointment to meet a journalist from HaAretz here who might be interested in publishing this story.

6:30  We arrived, but there are no soldiers yet.  In front of the checkpoint, at the Hablah gate, many people are waiting.

6:35  The soldiers arrived, late.

6:45  People begin to go through the inspection booth.  Slowly, they come out in groups of 5, 6 or 7.  Those waiting are impatient, loudly complaining.  A., from the nursery "works" at the checkpoint to keep order in the line - he is there daily from 6:30 - 8, as a volunteer!  The inspection goes very slowly and, by 7:30, they also do the procedure in the shed where the soldiers are, near the exit gate.

8:00  The line is very short, only a few left.  We went away.

Passed through:  more than 20 bike riders, cars, a minibus bringing teachers to Qalqilya, a minibus bringing students to school in Hablah, pickup trucks for the nurseries, tractors and wagons, and, naturally, pedestrians, about 200 of them.