'Atara, Qalandiya, Sun 31.3.13, Afternoon
Translating: Ruth Fleishman
Qalandiya:
After an hour's drive and half an hour of waiting at the entrance to the checkpoint, a baby
of two months with heart disease was transferred from a Palestinian emergency kit to a Jerusalem one. Exposer to the dust, the heavy heat and the air that was polluted by gas fumes from the skunk, couldn't have been good for the baby, but it was all preformed according to regulations and in the name of security.
The ambulance that arrived from Jerusalem transferred the baby and his father, who was standing the whole time with his jaw clenched and only his shaking chine giving evidence to the stifled cry, to Mokased hospital, where (the medical crew explained) they would examine and asses the baby's condition and decide whether or not to perform the operation necessary to fix the child's heart at there or send him off to the experts at Shiva hospital.
Friends from the checkpoint's surroundings told me about the demonstration that was held on the anniversary of the Land Day on the previous day. They said that even though it was a quiet demonstration the army responded with violence, by shooting and spraying skunk water.
And although it had been over a day since the events, most of the skunk's fluids had remained at the vicinity of the wall so that approaching it in order to photograph the new inscription that said: "Stop Cementing Misery" could turn your insides out.
There are no strangers to the name of the hunger striker, Samer Issawi. Upon hearing his name mentioned people nodded their heads with sadness and empathy to his fate, they heard with sparkling eyes and a smile about the Israeli women who were attempting to visit the starving prisoner.
When I told a friend from the refugee camp that I would attempt to visit Samer Issawi, he said: "Even if they release him, his body is probably not alive anymore".
-"Perhaps the body isn't, but what about the soul?" I asked.
-"You are right", he agreed.
Atara/ Bir Zeit checkpoint:
The soldiers remained hidden at the top of the tower, only the face of a curious soldier peeked and disappeared into the darkness of the post, and kept peeking each time the camera was raised.
The Palestinians that passed by waved from behind the window shields. Stopping the car would be a bad idea so they didn't dare do that. Only one driver slowed down little, opened the window and shouted: "Come back on another day, not today!"- "When?", we asked, "On Thursday!" he replied and drove off without explaining.