Qalandiya, Mon 5.7.10, Afternoon
15:40, Givat Ze'ev CP: At this hour of the afternoon, there was almost no pedestrian traffic at the CP, only a few laborers returning from their day's work one by one or in small groups. We wanted to show our guest the insides of the CP but the soldiers and civilian security personnel would not let us in. Because the CP was empty, we decided not to fight for our rights but to go on to Qalandiya. On our way to the car we stopped to talk with several of the laborers, as well as a few women who work as maids in the Givat Ze'ev Settlement. All the people we spoke with told us there were less problems at the CP and that the waiting time in the mornings had shortened considerably (to an hour or less).
16:15, Qalandiya CP: Traffic was very light. The northern shed was occupied by only a few laborers waiting for a ride home after their day's work. No one was waiting in the "pens" corralling people to the turnstiles at the CP entrance. At the eastern-most pen, the one that has been broken for the past week, someone has removed the plastic ribbons that prevented people from entering, saving Palestinians the bother. Time and again people on their way to Jerusalem tried to enter the CP via the broken turnstile (which is the usual entrance at this time of day) only to have to wend their way out and try an alternative route.
Inside the CP three passageways were operating. Women who stood in line at Passageway 4 had no problem in passing. On reaching the Jerusalem side of the CP we saw that a huge traffic jam had developed in the southern square (once again due to problematical traffic arrangements at the northern CP entrance).
When we returned to the northern shed, we saw that the (female) soldier on duty there had "captured" one of the peddler children, those that peddle chewing gum, inside the CP. Apparently, the little boy had been going back and forth, in and out of the CP, angering or disturbing the soldier who decided to punish him by locking him in. The little boy kept his cool and waited patiently until in the end he was allowed to leave.
On our way back to Jerusalem we passed through Lil/Jabba and Hizmeh CPs. Traffic was flowing at both.