Qalandiya
Stress and confusion at the Qalandiya CP
When we arrived at the CP, a little after 5 o'clock, it was already light. The place where we usually park on the Israeli side, was taken and we parked some distance away. Therefore we arrived inside the CP a bit later than usual and we were welcomed by long queues which overflowed to the closed parking lot, although all the five posts were working. At post no. 5 it seemed that the tempo of the checking was especially slow and many people who were waiting there despaired and passed on to other posts.
A few women who arrived went to the entrance to the enclosures, but contrary to the usual procedure, they were not allowed to merge in the queue. It was clear that those were women who weren't used to pass through the CP. They asked us about the humanitarian gate, but we replied that it is opened at 6 o'clock only. A many known to us went to them and talked to them, and then returned to his place in the queue. We thought that he went to the women in order to assist them in become integrated in the queue, as later they were enabled to merge. But when we talked with him he explained that he told them that if they have an authorization for 8 o'clock they shouldn't enter now. According to him yesterday the policeman took the authorizations away from men and women who tried to enter before 8 o'clock. The man told us that the reason for the slow tempo of the checking was that there were new soldiers. We don't know whether this is true, but if it is then one doubt the wisdom of bringing new soldiers precisely in the middle of the Ramadan period of pressure.
At 5:40 two policemen arrived. At 5:50 there was also a crowd waiting at the humanitarian gate. We saw people who weren't allowed to pass. At post no. 5 a girl soldier called by loudspeaker to one man: "Shalom. You are prevented from entering, go home". And there was an elderly man whose authorization was for 8 o'clock. Also part of the women remained waiting, probably till 8 o'clock.
At 6 o'clock two soldiers arrived. One replaced the soldier in the aquarium. It wasn't clear what the task of the second soldier was. He stayed some time and at a certain stage he left. Some time after 6 o'clock P., the non-commissioned officer from the DCO arrived as well, and began opening the humanitarian gate. In the meantime the soldier in the aquarium announces by loudspeaker each time he opens the turnstiles "Maftuah". But it seems he is not so skilled, as in one case he opened the turnstiles for a period which was too long. In such a case, when the passage begins being very quick there are always some – especially young men – who think that if they run quickly they will manage to pass. And then they abandon their place in the queue and run to the opening of the enclosure and within seconds the orderly queues turn into one big heap of human beings… Just as this happened a big group of women, who went to pray at El Aqsa, arrived.