'Anabta, Habla, Ras 'Atiya, Thu 5.11.09, Morning
The gate is open and there is still a queue going through. A Palestinian says that they opened the gate at 06:40. A soldier that approaches us says that they were there at 06:15 and that they opened at 06:20 - they were early according to him. Occasionally other workers join the queue. They are inspected in threes. In 10 minutes 13 people go through.
07:25 Ras A Tia
No one is waiting. Many children pass on their way to school, including two buses. A soldier boards one bus for inspection. A car arrives and passes in a minute having had an inspection of documents, without the passenger leaving the car. Other cars - all their passengers are sent to be inspected in the inspection booth, then the passengers cross over on foot and the driver takes the car through, the checkpoint where it is checked.
Two guys are waiting for their friend, on the Israeli side. He was not let through despite having all the necessary papers and having been going through every single day for the past year. We called the DCO, It turns out the guy has returned more than once through a different place. According to the DCO if it happens once you receive a caution but if it happens more than once you have to go and cancel the complaint against you at the DCO. Otherwise the soldiers are not allowed to let you through(?) - some punishment? And this although we had heard that one is allowed to return through any gate at all.
And what happens if the soldiers miswrite the number when he goes through? Then he has to waste a whole day's work in order to go to the DCO which is only open during working hours, when he is supposed to be at work!!!
The passage to Azzun is open and at Shvut Ami there is no sign of life.
09:20 Anabta
There are no soldiers at the checkposts. By the checkpoint there are many soldiers. They appear to be on training. They pay no heed to those going through, apart from one soldier who gestures occasionally to those who hesitate to go through.