Qalandiya

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Virginia S., Ina P., (reporting)ף Translator: Hanna K.
Feb-10-2015
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Morning

Dawn.

All five checking points were open when we arrived at 5:00 but the turnstile at the end of the passage ("enclosure") no. 1 was still out of order, so that when a soldier in the aquarium  shut the turnstiles in enclosures 2 and 3 at 5:10, long queues formed quickly.

 

It is unclear why it is so difficult to repair a turnstile during five weeks. After he arrived at the CP, we asked the DCO soldier about this and he referred us to the policemen there, but those ignored us when we tried to draw their attention. The result of this situation was two long queues extending beyond the roofed area of the CP, so the people there were exposed to the cold and to the strong winds of the place. This morning the queues advanced quickly enough, but the situation of the persons standing in them would have been more comfortable if the damaged turnstile would at long last be repaired and thus they could stand in three queues. We very much hope that the cumbersomeness in the repair of the turnstile doesn't stem, heaven forbid, from disregard towards those passing through the CP.

 

The DCO soldier opened the humanitarian gate at 6:00 and again whenever a handful of people collected around him. Women who stood next to the gate even complimented him quietly in our ears (but added that the situation on the day before, when another soldier or officer was responsible for the gate, was especially difficult).

 

We left the CP at 6:50, when the queues became so short that the enclosures were empty. The congestion which led to the vehicle CP was, as usual, oppressive.