Falamiya North Checkpoint (914), Falamiya South Checkpoint (935)
Falamiya North – 6:20. The gate has been opened at 6:15 and the tractors are arriving. Some of the people arrive on bikes and enter, and others, tractor drivers and passengers, descend from the tractor and go in for the checking. On the way to the booth they leave their identity card at the entrance and on the way back to the tractor they get it back and enter with the vehicle into the area. We asked them what the activities were at this period: mainly upkeep of plants such as spraying. At the moment they collect mainly Zaatar and a bit of the vegetable called Mulochiya. We were told that the fruit are late this year owing to the cold winter.
One person tried to joke with us and asked for our age. I tried to evade, but he knew and said 80 and added that he had a grandmother whose age was between 110 and 120, and this was owing to the healthy food she was eating, like olive oil. We didn’t discuss the matter with him.
Their working day is from six in the morning to five in the afternoon, despite the fast, and the hot climate.
All in all 9 tractors arrived.
Falamiya South – 7:00. The gate has just been opened. Little by little 5 tractors arrived. In one tractor a whole family arrived, including women and schoolchildren. This gate remains open only 20 minutes.