TEL AVIV, February 27, 2007 (WAFA) - MachsomWatch - a Human Rights organization of Israeli women who oppose the occupation- published on Tuesday its monthly report January 2007.

MachsomWatch, which is deeply involved with the infringement of freedom of movement of Palestinians within the occupied territories, said the rules at the checkpoints are concealed and each person who is involved with it is familiar only with his or her part. In attempting to cope with this massive bureaucracy, countless hours are wasted and vast sums of money are lost by those poor people who are trapped in the checkpoints.

"About 50 men and women are crowding around the gate at Rihan (Barta'a) CP, most of them laborers who work in the industrial zone of Shahak in the seamzone (the area between the Green Line and the "Security Fence" (Apartheid Wall)), and also agricultural laborers and seamstresses who work in the sewing factory in East Barta'a. The Shahak laborers say that it would be easier for them if they were permitted to go through at the Shaked (Tura) CP which is near their place of work. The seamstresses, who live in Tura, would also prefer to go through from there," said the report. MachsomWatch said people keep coming to the Palestinian parking lot. A little after 07:00 the pressure is gone. It turned out that there was a reason for the crowding in the terminal. The laborers who work at picking oranges near Hadera asked to go through at the Rihan CP, as they were allowed to do recently (that is the shortest way to their work place).

Today, two went through and the rest were not allowed to go through. At the DCO, it adds, they said that their passage at Rihan was a mistake and they had to go through either at Jalameh or at Irtach. About 20 laborers with sacks for picking fruit in their hands went back to the Palestinian parking lot to wait. At about 08:00 they left to go through at Jalameh and thus they will begin their day's work very late.

It said, to Israeli cars who want to pass Shaked CP from Tura to the seamzone are sent back. No Israelis - whether in cars or on foot - are allowed to go through at this CP. Residents of Daher el-Malek and of Umm e-Rihan are allowed to go through the Shaked CP even if their permit says that they have to go through at Rihan.

"06:55 - at this time the lot is packed with cars waiting for laborers, and with dozens of laborers waiting for their ride. They show us the magnetic cards that they were forced to replace with new ones even though the expiration date hasn't been reached. A laborer pays 130 NIS to replace the card because of the transition to identification by finger prints. But there's another problem: since these are manual workers, the skin on their fingers is gnarly, and this makes identification by the machine difficult, and then they are forced to replace the card again (and pay another 130 NIS). One man was forced to replace his card three times within a short period of time, even though its expiration date is a long way off."

A.D (14:20 P) (12:20 GMT)