Qalandiya

Like most Sunday mornings at 05:00 there is a long line in front of the five windows.  We spoke with people who feared there’d be a closure during Chanukah.  We met a family who comes regularly with their son; he has a growth in his head.  He’s being treated at Hadassah.  The father complained that although they have a letter stating the boy is undergoing treatment and shouldn’t go through the scanner, the soldiers ignore it.  I spoke to the DCO officer; he responded, unfortunately, that the letter might be forged.  We understood we’d have to find another way to help the boy.  On the one hand Israel, through Hadassah hospital, provides devoted treatment (for payment), but on the other it causes him unnecessary pain at the checkpoint, because of indifference and laziness, unwilling to inspect him in another way (lest he be a terrorist bearing an explosive device).

We promised the family to handle their request.  That same day an acquaintance who works in Mahane Yehuda called us to report that a colleague at work who crosses through the Bethlehem checkpoint (330) was hospitalized with broken ribs.  Although his injury was due to being crushed on the “Palestinian” side, aren’t we still responsible for the checkpoint?