Tura Checkpoint: very quiet, very dirty. One woman crosses.

Place:

Barta'a (old agricultural gate)

Tura-Shaked

Ya'bed-Dotan

Tags:

Seam Zone

Observers:

Ruthi T and Rachel W. (Reporting) Marcia L., Translation

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Jan-21-2020

Afternoon

Tura Checkpoint: the habitual trash in this checkpoint is courtesy of the Israeli soldiers.

Photo:

Ruti Tuval

The settlement is emptying, but perhaps in light of Trump’s Mideast Plan, it imight be quite a find.

Photo:

Ruti Tuval

14:45 – We cross Barta’a Checkpoint on the Palestinian side, on the way to Harmish Checkpoint. The parking lot is full. In spite of the cold and rainy weather, people go to work.

15:00 – Harmish and Ya’bed-Dotan Checkpoints

There are no soldiers at their stations. Traffic is slow. The local council bus returns children to their homes. In front of the Ya’bed checkpoint, there is a large sign that offers homes in Dotan at sale prices.

15:30 – Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

We return to Barta’a and go down to the parking lot on the Palestinian side. Many drivers wait for passengers and we hear calls for transportation to Jenin. One man tells us that he works in renovations in the West Bank for NIS 250 a day, without any social benefits, and the transportation costs him at least NIS 70 per day.

The truck parking lot is empty, and a thick rope bars it. We wonder if there is a change in policy because we always see a lot of trucks waiting for inspection, even through the next day.

16:00 – Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

Filthy, as usual. It is very quiet. One woman crosses and we take her to Umm-Reihan.

Location Description

Barta'a (old agricultural gate)

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On the road from Barta'a to the West Bank.

Tura-Shaked Checkpoint

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This is a fabric of life* checkpoint through which pedestrians, cabs and private cars (since 2008) pass to and from the West Bank and the Seam-line Zone to and from the industrical zone near the settler-colony Shaked, schools and kindergartens, and Jenin university campuses. The checkpoint is located between Tura village inside the West Bank and the village of Dahar Al Malah inside the enclave of the Seam-line Zone. It is opened twice a day, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., and from 12 noon to 7 p.m. People crossing it (at times even kindergarten children) are inspected in a bungalow with a magnometer. Names of those allowed to cross it appear in a list held by the soldiers. Usually traffic here is scant.

fabric of life roads and checkpoints, as defined by the Terminals Authority in the Ministry of Defense (fabric of life is a laundered name that does not actually describe any kind of humanitarian purpose) are intended for Palestinians only. These roads and checkpoints have been built on lands appropriated from their Palestinian owners, including tunnels, bypass roads, and tracks passing under bridges. Thus traffic can flow between the West Bank and its separated parts that are not in any kind of territorial contiguity with it. Mostly there are no permanent checkpoint on these roads but rather ‘flying’ checkpoints, check-posts or surprise barriers. At Toura, a small (less than one dunam) and sleepy checkpoint has been established, which has filled up with the years with nearly .every means of supervision and surveillance that the Israeli military occupation has produced. (February 2020)

Mar-22-2022

Ruti Tuval

The locked gate at the Anin checkpoint

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Ya’abad-Dotan

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This checkpoint is located on road 585, at the crossroads of Mevo Dotan settler-colony / Jenin/ Ya’abad. It has an army watchtower (‘pillbox’ post) and concrete blocs that slow down vehicular traffic. It was erected when Barta’a Checkpoint, lying to the west on the Separation Fence, was privatized and its operation was passed over to civilian security personnel. Since December 2009 this checkpoint enables flow of Palestinian vehicular traffic towards the Barta’a Checkpoint. Seldom is it manned by soldiers sitting in the watchtower, who conduct random inspections of vehicles and passengers. (february 2020)