Israel's Checkpoint Princesses

The members of Israeli women's group Machsom Watch (Checkpoint Watch) are ladies with a reputation. Every morning by the crack of dawn, these mostly retired grandmothers travel to the epicenter of the daily conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Their stated purpose is to monitor checkpoints scattered between Israel and the West Bank and within the West Bank itself, but their role is far from that of a silent observer. Today, the women tackle some of the most sensitive challenges faced by the Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. This has earned them mixed accolades — including praise not only from the Palestinians but also from the highest echelons of the Israeli defense and military establishments. Meanwhile, others have criticized them for well over a decade.

It is 2 a.m. when some of the activists set off for their shifts. Throughout the early hours, they are in regular contact with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Ministry of Defense’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories unit (COGAT). Often, they assist Palestinians in need of urgent medical help who may be caught up in bureaucratic entanglements or misunderstandings. The women also compile daily reports on any conflicts arising between the soldiers and the Palestinians.

“When we were about to leave, at 7, an elderly woman came up to us and nervously asked for our help,” notes one of the activists in a report of her shift at the Qalandia crossing in early August. “She had an invitation for an appointment at Hadassah Hospital, but had left her permit at home. We asked the DCO (District Coordination Officer) who was present to clarify her status on the computer and to let her pass without the physical permit in hand. He took her identity number, immediately found out in a telephone call that the DCO had given her a permit and left her in the hands of a young soldier who escorted her to the inspection area to make sure that she got through successfully.” 

“Arriving at the [checkpoint] at 4, we found a very long queue progressing slowly,” writes another activist. “We waited to see if the situation would be altered but when nothing happened, we started a round of telephone calls. Indeed, after a while another post was opened up, and a "humanitarian" passage was opened up for women and children. A checking-post bypass was also opened up and was operating most of the time we were there. The pressure on the turnstiles eased and the passage ran well.”