Qalandiya, Mon 22.2.10, Morning

Qalandiya, 22.2.10 Morning .

05:15 -
 A long line of people going to work extends all the way to the coffee salesman.  People stood completely quiet and a short time after we arrived people began to complain and push in line.  A woman soldier waits until there are at least three or four people in front of the inspection room and then lets them in.  Of course only one sleeve is operating.   Usually people wait in an orderly fashion and once or twice when young people try and jump over of get ahead the people restore order quickly. 
At 06:00 people begin to line up at the humanitarian crossing.
  At 06:30 I call to ask why they have not opened it yet and am told that they will be there any minute.

After 15 minutes Ivan, the policeman arrives with the officer from the Liaison and Coordination Administration.  Ivan greets me coldly but politely.  Perhaps the complaints about rudeness helped. After they opened the gate once they disappeared and I was told that there was a suspicious vehicle and that they were busy dealing with it.
I called several times and was told that any minute now they would finish with the suspicious car and return to the humanitarian gate.  Meanwhile school children and women with babies have to make their way through the bars and get through the crowd of men waiting. 

Finally after at least an hour another policeman and officer from the Liaison and Coordination Administration arrive, but they would not open the humanitarian gate until a civilian policeman after another ten minutes.  The lanes were filled with people until 07:15.