'Anin, Barta'a-Reihan, Tura-Shaked, Ya'bed-Dotan
A'anin Checkpoint
For many years we have been witness to the refusal of soldiers to allow people from A'anin to bring junk through the checkpoint to be recycled (does it constitute a security risk?) We never understood and we were ashamed. Today we were amazed to see several tractors loaded with plastic and scrap metal that were waiting to cross. Evidently it is now permitted.
As it grew later and later (the checkpoint was due to open from 15:00 to 15:30) and as 15:30 approached and there were still no soldiers in sight, a call to the Liaison and Coordination Administration accomplished nothing. At 15:30 a military jeep approached and then drove on. Ten minutes later a civilian car approached from the other side and reservist soldiers leisurely made their way to the cement barriers and hesitantly opened the gates
. At first they opened the gates on the side of the village and then slowly made their way towards us. Everyone crossed without being checked and happily made their way home to rest before breaking their fast in the evening at iftar. The checkpoint closed at 16:00 after the two soldiers succeeded in locking the rusty lock on the gate.
Tura – Shaked Checkpoint
The area around the garbage can is littered with pizza cartons. Every time we remind the soldiers about the litter they answer: "It's theirs, not ours." The checkpoint is filled with equipment and the benches on the seamline zone side, under the awning where people wait, have been broken and pulled up. This checkpoint is a "fabric of life" checkpoint and is open all day, but there is little traffic here except for the hours when people are coming and going from work.
Dahar-al-Malec
Along the road on the side of the village of Tura there is a row of electric poles with wires strung between then. There is a central pole standing at the entrance to the village of Dahar al Malec, but there are still no electric poles in the village. There is no one out in the village. Are they waiting for the fast to break? For electricity? Before 1967 they had no electricity, but we are the conquerors and are supposed to see to the welfare of the people under our jurisdiction.
Hermesh Checkpoint
We visit this checkpoint only occasionally. When the road to Yaabed was plowed, this road was lowed as well. At Yaabed Checkpoint the cracks were filled in but there are still speed bumps here that the car must drive over.
Yaabed Dotan Checkpoint
We did not see any army vehicles or soldiers on the road or at the checkpoint. A few cars drove through to Area A and some Israeli cars drove up to the settlement of Mevo Dotan.
Barta'a Checkpoint
17:00 – It is already late for people to be returning during Ramadan. Most of the people working in construction in Harish have already returned, and a few dozen are still crossing. We did not walk down to the entrance to the terminal because we knew no one was checking and only the turnstile occasionally gave people problems.