Falamiya CP. Occupation routine–everything’s fine, the checkpoint is working like the people want, even though the people don’t want them at all.

The occupation routine – everything’s fine, going smoothly, because the checkpoints are working like the people want them to, even though the people don’t want them at all.

Falamya north 914

Hours:  12:45-13:15

12:20  We went through the Eliyahu checkpoint.  We saw no plant nursery vehicles waiting.

12:45  The checkpoint is closed.  A truck from Jayous waits, with a driver and a young man.  The driver from Jayous tells us he comes to this checkpoint because he can reach his field half an hour before the checkpoint for people from Jayous opens.  Unfortunately, a short time later the soldiers don’t allow him through and he’s sent to the gate through which he’s “permitted” to cross.

12:50  The MPs arrive.

12:55  The gate opens.  Tractors and people on foot cross to Falamya.  No one heading to the fields, only people returning from them.  Eight tractors returned and many people on foot.  Za’atar and vegetables.

13:10  The gate closes.  The soldiers claim they’re allowed to close five minutes early if no one is there.

Jayous west (Falamya south) 935

Hours:  13:20-13:40

The truck driver from Jayous waits with his companion along with two tractors and their owners.  One of them is pulling a wagon in which an elderly woman sits.  Tractors also wait on the other side of the gate.   One of them says that the Jayous 965 checkpoint hasn’t opened since the olive harvest ended early this year and someone set fire to it.  Nina asks the soldiers a few minutes later and they say they open it.  People waiting to cross to the fields crowd around the gate and the female soldier asks them to form a line.  Tractors and cars cross toward Jayous and the truck driver goes through to the fields.  A tractor from Jayous on which were loaded sacks of seedlings from a pickup truck that drove away after unloading them has been detained.  The soldiers wait for authorization to transfer the seedlings, which hadn’t been arranged in advance (even though the driver said it had been and had been in contact with the person who coordinated it), which they said was necessary.  Nina contacted the DCL and was told he doesn’t have permission to transfer the seedings because he hadn’t arranged it in advance.  The soldiers suggested that he go to the next checkpoint; perhaps permission will have been obtained by then and he’ll be able to go through.  That’s what he did.

13:45  The gate closed.

Jayous 965

Hours:  13:55-14:05

13:55  The soldiers have already arrived.  One tractor crossed to Jayous; the soldiers later say that tractor went through in the morning and they opened the gate for it now.  They open in the afternoon only if they know someone went through in the morning.  The tractor with the seedlings also showed up, the soldiers say they still haven’t received authorization to let him cross.  The driver stays on the phone.  At the last minute the DCL authorizes his crossing and he goes through.  Praised be the lords of the army.

No one is working in the olive groves we pass on the way to the village.