Qalandiya, Sun 13.5.12, Morning

Translaltion: Judith Green

We arrived at the checkpoint at 5:30 AM.

1.  No lines.

2.  The one turnstile in operation didn't close, so people simply streamed through.

3.  In the inner courtyard, 2 lanes were open, every minute the turnstile opened and 3-5 people went through.

4.  The workers passed by with a smile and morning greeting and thanks to the crossing point.

5.  At 6:00, half an hour earlier than usual, the officers arrived and opened two additional turnstiles at the entrance and 2 additional lanes in the inner courtyard.

6.  Rivka and I thought the days of the Messiah had arrived but, on second thought, we realized this was only relative happiness.  Certainly it should be like this every morning.

7.  We should mention that several Sundays have seen improvement like this at the checkpoint, though today was particularly good.

8.  Despite these good marks, it is a pity that cleanliness is not observed here.  Today, when the place was not very crowded, the piles of garbage were especially conspicuous, thrown all over the space.  One might of thought it was a garbage collection area and not a exit for workers.

9.  We hope that a solution will be found for this (#8) and that the situation today mirrors a real change, and not an incidental one.