Qalandiya, Tue 15.5.12, Afternoon

15:00-16:00 Throughout this time there was a trickle of pedestrians passing through in both directions.  The section for vehicles was very crowded when we arrived – but later was completely empty. That checkpoint had probably been shut by the military.

There were traces of stone-throwing in the space just outside the fence of the parking lot.  Real stone throwing seemed to be happening very far down the road.  But there was a big military presence when we came, later reinforced by a large company.  All the time soldiers were shooting tear gas (apparently from positions on the wall), and there was that large vehicle spewing out shower of stinking (sewage?) water.   The wind brought the effects of both on to the inside of the parking lot so people were coughing and trying to block their noses.

This was the first time our team has gone to Qalandiya in the afternoon.  It seems that perhaps this is too early an hour to get a real impression of everyday Qalandiya and that the heavy traffic comes later?

The traffic coming back via Jabbar and Khisme was very slow – but this was partly caused by an accident and some road works.