'Anin, Reihan, Shaked, Thu 1.11.07, Morning

06:00 - 08:30

06:00 Aanin Checkpoint

The checkpoint opened at 05:30 and people are coming out and rushing to work. On the gate there is a large notice in Hebrew and Arabic declaring the opening hours and the phone numbers of the DCO and the Humanitarian Centre. The check is done before the entry to the compound, and we cannot see what is happening. We are told that 70 people are waiting and "everything is okay."

 

06:15 Rihan Checkpoint

Lively traffic of men and women to the Seam Zone. Most of the young people report that they were delayed 20-30 minutes in the rooms. The women tell us that everyone (up to the age of 40) was put into the rooms – in groups of eight; there IDs and bags were inspected. From the rooms they were taken at random, one or two at a time, into another room with a woman checker and there they were told to remove their outer dresses and head coverings. There is no check by instrumentation, and the transit of the women took a long time. The older women passed through immediately.

At 06:40 people who entered the terminal at 05:30 were still coming out, though the flow was thinner. A resident of Mevo Dotan who employs Palestinians that pass this checkpoint complains that, though he has permits from 05:00, the gate only opens at 05:30. He contends that since the "privatization" of the checkpoint the attitude to the people coming through has deteriorated greatly. They already know him, and don’t delay his workers. He also comments that recently they have been restricting the Palestinians in their transfer of food into the Seam Zone, and there are arguments about the size of family and the quantity that a family needs.

 

07:00 Shaked Checkpoint

The army has moved to a new camp with permanent buildings, and the camp across the road remains with empty caravans.

20 people are waiting on the West Bank side, 20 small children are standing in the centre of the checkpoint – all are waiting for the rusty keys to open the doors of the inspection rooms. After five minutes all is open, the children shoot off to school and transfer to and from the West Bank begins. All the passers by complain about the late opening hour of the checkpoint.

 

07:20 Rihan Checkpoint

Three vehicles loaded with produce are being checked in the closed compound – until 07:55. At 07:45 three new vehicles come in, along with one loaded with meat that does not wait in line, for the preliminary check. The drivers complain that the quota of eggs that they may transport has been reduced. Now people are passing in both directions, there is no pressure and transit is relatively fast. The daily bus from Bartaa to the West Bank crosses with passengers in 15 minutes.