Eyal Crossing

Eyal checkpoint, 12.5.15

04:45  Dozens of cars are already parked at the checkpoint and buses also arrive, to pick up workers.  At various corners Palestinians use the waiting time for prayers.

As soon as we’d parked one of the laborers approached us saying, “It’s like the stock market here, good one day, bad the next.”

He also mentioned how difficult it was in the rain; the shed isn’t large enough for all those waiting and they must crowd together, on top of each other.

Other laborers told us that “today’s OK,” the crossing takes about half an hour.  Two people add that there are two lanes outside, which is fine, but inside there’s only one revolving gate to the inspection area and there’s congestion.

One laborer passed us angrily, said he waited an hour and a half and everything is shitty, no good.

In any case it’s hard to understand why it’s necessary to delay people very day even for half an hour, on top of the long hours they must spend coming from their village, and at the checkpoint area even before starting their workday.  Why aren’t additional crossing lanes opened?

We left at 05:30.