Qalandiya, Sun 13.12.09, Afternoon

Rony Hamerman and Tamar Fleishman 

A ladder was leaning on the wall by Dahyat-El-Barid square and on it was a man fixing the alarm system above. BP soldier were keeping an eye on the man and the ladder.  

The Checkpoint:

It seems that the construction work on the checkpoint is about to be completed: neon lights were on, the turnstiles on each side of the checkpoint had been place and metal fences were sparkling (especially on the representative side- the Israeli side). Apparently they will  inaugurate the "new" checkpoint, that to the naïve observer might seem like a terminal.

Will this construction substitute the current checkpoint or will they both operate together? What will be done with the old construction?

-Rony suggested that the new checkpoint will substitute for the old one. And I raised the question: if they close the old checkpoint will the mountain that had stood there since the beginning of time, up until conqueror's machines arrive, be returned?  

At the northern square, on the Palestinian side of the checkpoint, was much commotion: tens of vehicles were lined up rather close together, the drivers drove on the square in hope that it might shorten their way, everyone was honking their horns and trying to move forward on each centimeter before them, it was the rush hour and everyone was returning home after a day of work.  

Due to a (planed in advance) meeting with a close friend from Gaza, who we hadn't been able to see for over a year, we remained at the waiting shed the whole time.

There was a large crowd inside and outside the checkpoint, the man size cadges were full and the lines were long and continued outside of the cadges.

The chill drove some of the peddlers away from the parking lot into the she