Qalandiya, Sun 22.1.12, Morning

Chana S. translating

5.30 The queue reaches the parking lot. Only 3 sleeves open and the line hardly moves.
6.00 We phoned the DCO and were told that an officer would come in 2 minutes.  He indeed arrived but told us that he wasn’t responsible for the soldiers so he would call their commander to hurry them.   When we once again called the DCO and asked for that commander we were told it was impossible to talk to him.  Once again they explained politely that the soldier of the DCO was under the command of an officer (who apparently was new to the area), who himself was not responsible for the soldiers.  When we asked what was the logic of the responsible person’s not being at the site, we were asked (by a border policewoman) not to disturb their work.
6.15 All the sleeves were opened but the 5th sleeve, intended for people passing through the humanitarian gate, was fairly empty.  The pofficer to whom we suggested that  workers be directed also to this sleeve, explained that at present they were trying to work out how to make the passage more efficient (hallelujah).
A pleasant woman officer of the Border Police that they are trying to improve the passages and widen(?) them.  If they are indeed planning to widen them it seems to us that the first thing they should do is widen those narrow corridors before the carousels.  Expanding them would greatly improve the feeling of workers who complain that they feel like animals in a cage.
6.30 The lines rapidly get shorter.  We also got the impression that the army and the border police discussed the situation and checked changes in procedure.
7.10  The line was short as we left.
As this report was being written it was reported in the news that a Palestinian attacked soldiers with an axe at Qalandiya checkpoint (10.15).