Reihan, Sun 11.11.07, Morning

שתפו:

מקום או מחסום:

תגיות:

Arbitrariness, e.g. an arbitrary decision

צופות ומדווחות:

Dvorah S. and Hanna H.

11/11/2007

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בוקר

Reihan
07:10 - 09:00

The women and most of the men laborers have already left for work. Two groups are still waiting for their 'boss' to pick them up. They tell us that the CP opened at 05:30 and that they were kept in the inspection rooms for 15 to 30 minutes. Those who are coming out now, when it is not so crowded are kept 3 to 5 minutes. In the pedestrian passageway, there is a steady flow of traffic in both directions.

7:25 - Twelve pickup trucks with goods are waiting in the Palestinian parking lot. One loaded with sheep is waiting at the side in order to enter without waiting in the queue - as has been agreed for a long time. Three vehicles are being inspected in the enclosed compound.

08:00 - the first three vehicles leave; three with goods enter for the preliminary inspection - the sheep remain behind. A. tells us that today the permits for the Reihan CP were already inspected at the Dothan CP.

Just as we were thinking how horrible it is that the conduct at the CPs can be anticipated and is just routine, the pile of eggs in one of the waiting pickup trucks falls apart. While they are collecting what they can, we talk to the drivers who explain why they put the trays of eggs on the rather loose back door (of the pickup truck). We suggest that they put the permitted daily quota in one or two of the trucks which will transport only eggs. But they are not certain that this would be possible. The driver with the sheep tries to convince Rabia (the one responsible for the vehicle CP) to let him through, but he does not succeed. Dvorah, who believed in the power of logic, approached Rabia in order to try to talk to him. But, very quickly, the conversation turned into shouts, and Rabia gave a command for all the electric gates info-icon

to be closed until Dvorah went away and Charlie was summoned to the vehicle CP. The driver was called for a 'discussion' and he was punished. From today on, the vehicles with the sheep will also have to stand in the queue and will be taken into the compound for inspection.

After five minutes, Sharon came to talk to us; he wanted to find out what the problem had been. In the end, we succeeded in coming to a favorable agreement with him, and I hope that the agreement will be implemented on location. (1) Vehicles with sheep and meat will not have to wait in the queue but will be inspected in the closed compound (during the winter). (2) Sharon will allow the drivers to decide how they want to transport the eggs, given that they stick to the daily allowance. Today, every driver can transport 50 cartons (he says that the quota was set this month in consultation with the head of the Barta'a local council). On the assumption that there are 40 vehicles per day, the drivers are allowed to transport 2000 cartons all together.

When we left at 09:20, the car with the sheep was still waiting and the drivers were having a stormy meeting in the parking lot, discussing the matter of the eggs.

תיאור המקום

Barta’a-Reihan Checkpoint

להצגת כל הדוחות ממקום זה

This checkpoint is located on the Separation Fence route, east of the Palestinian town of East Barta’a. The latter is the largest Palestinian community inside the seam-line zone (Barta’a Enclave) in the northern West Bank. Western Barta’a, inside Israel, is adjacent to it. The Checkpoint is open all week from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Since mid-May 2007, the checkpoint has been managed by a civilian security company subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. People permitted to cross through this checkpoint into and from the West Bank are residents of Palestinian communities inside the Barta’a Enclave as well as West Bank Palestinian residents holding transit permit. Jewish settlers from Hermesh and Mevo Dotan cross here without inspection. A large, modern terminal is active here with 8 windows for document inspection and biometric tests (eyes and fingerprints). Usually only one or two of the 8 windows are in operation. Goods, up to medium commercial size, may pass here from the West Bank into the Barta’a Enclave. A permanent registered group of drives who have been approved by the may pass with farm produce. When the administration of the checkpoint was turned over to a civilian security firm, the Ya’abad-Mevo Dotan Junction became a permanent checkpoint. . It is manned by soldiers who sit in the watchtower and come down at random to inspect vehicles and passengers (February 2020).