Qalandiya, Wed 21.10.09, Afternoon

Qalandiya, Ras Bido (new) 

15.20 The southern circle of Qalandiya is packed with cars going to the north even though there is no checking being done.

4 checking points are closing .
Sleeves 2,3, and 4 are  working

A strong smell of urine in the shed.

The northern circle is packed. A special lane for the taxi vans. There is no possibility of shortening the lines at the circle.

The seller of corn stands close to the line of cars.

15.40 Burning tyres next to the wall of the road leading east. "This is because of what you do to us." A man says this very angry and walks off. We come close to the fire. 4 boys of about 10-12, moving fast burn 2-3 tyres. They go to and fro from the fire to the parking lot, grab a handful of decoration and run to feed the fire, to stand in the dense smoke and to throw some stones at cars without taking notice of the identity of the license plates. The taxi drivers try to calm them down. "The children are bored and do not have what to do. It is the problem of their parents. Not the intifada or Palestine." Luckily there is no reaction of the army to the bonfire, the tyres are change and plastic buckets used. The fire is put out.

We go through the cages fast. Daniella through the second sleeve and I through the third. All the lines are identical. There is no difference what colour the ID is.

I go quickly through and watch how once again the abuse at the checkpoint is continued. Next to the sealed window of sleeve number 2 a Palestinian asks for the details of the woman who passed before him. He said, "She stole my cellphone from the tray when she went through before me." The sleeve suddenly closed. Opens. The line is delayed. In the meantime a young mother with a baby asks to be allowed to pass without standing in line. "The baby is hungry and I can not breastfeed  him at the checkpoint."  

"An international checkpoint." At Ben Gurion airport telephones are also stolen at the checking area?' And there are places for a mother and child.

16.16 We go to Beit Iksa.  We drive on 443 until we get to Offer. At the traffic light we turn left to Givat Ze'ev, Nebi Samuel and Ramot. Inside Givat Ze'ev, from the left we find a new permanent checkpoint (waiting for the next shift).  

We get to the checkpoint of Beit Iksa and just before it we turn right in the direction of the village. The road twists downwards, afterwards there is a short ascent, One gets to the T junction. (This is Beit Iksa). We turn south and continue all the time on the twisting road. The direction is to the west, to Bido).  Before Bido is a new and equipped checkpoint.  Signs for taxis, a sentry tower round and high, the soldiers checked cars entering Israel in one lane. There are two turnstiles for pedestrians on the same side. Armoured areas for the soldiers. The roads are new and marked out. There is a caravan, empty,  padded inside and outside with artificial grass. Its purpose is unclear.

The border police are amazed. "How did you get here?" and they said that this is the checkpoint of Bido and Ras Bido. We did not go into further  because it was getting dark .
 W'll come back .

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