Eliyahu Crossing, Habla, Huwwara, Za'tara (Tapuah), Sun 13.6.10, Morning
We continued traveling on Highway #55, through the Eliyahu route to Highway # 5066, into Harrat. The main road was quiet and empty this morning; only a few shop owners had begun to arrange their merchandise. We continued on our way, going out in the direction of Cipel Harrat, where we saw a military Hummer on the main road, parked under one of the trees. The checkpoint at Cipel Harrat was open and there were no soldiers in sight. At the Za'atra junction there were a few vehicles going through quickly, except for a bus onto which a soldier went for inspection. At the Huwarra checkpoint there was a lot of movement. A long line of vehicles exiting Nablus and they were checked individually by sight. Commercial vehicles were checked even more carefully and, except for one truck, did not receive travel permits. At the entrance to Nablus the vehicles were going through without any inspection and even cars with Israeli license plates were allowed through. On the way back, we saw that the vehicles at Za'atra were only checked by sight and no line formed. Zeita Jamin - the entrance from Highway #5 is still open and the gate to Mardah is also open. A few meters to the west we saw a large break in the fence of Mardah, through which children were passing and next to which a woman was waiting for a ride. How much time must go by before it is fixed again?
We began our shift at the agricultural gate of Hablah, which we reached at about 7:30 AM. A few workers were waiting on either side of the gate, going through one by one after showing their IDs. Once in a while, a truck arrives or a cart piled with farming equipment and products and they also go through after a careful inspection of their permits. In the shed next to the gate, workers are waiting for transportation to their jobs. One of them answered our question about the passage of a bus with school children, and told us that they were now on vacation.