Sansana, South Hebron Hills, Sun 21.10.07, Morning

06:00 – 09:00 AM

Sansana-Meitar CP
On our arrival, a few minutes past 06:00, hundreds of people lined up, before the carousel, waiting already at least two hours to pass. We observed that it took for the carousel to open and let 2-3 people in over 5 minutes. After sometime the pace quickened somewhat.  It looks as if the barrier, in which the people line up, will not endure for long the pressure of the masses. The people shouted and complained to us that we have to do something, that it cannot go on like this for longer, that we should bring journalists and  photograph them, so “that the world shall see the misery”, “for they deride the people”, and “let them close the CP at all”.
When we left at 07:30, over a hundred people, to our estimation, were still lining up. Others simply left, having lost a day’s work. Even after nine o’clock, on our return, still we saw people lining up on the Palestinian side.
 
The contractors, on the Israeli side, were also angry and frustrated. Haim Tabor, representative of the contractors in the South said that since the new commander of the CP has arrived matters got much worse. He wants to meet the Commander of the Brigade and complain. He said that only two inspection posts of the 4 operate and it is not enough. More Palestinians get permits but the CP has not adjusted itself.

At last, the commander himself, L. Guy, came out. He listened to our complaints, smugly. He is convinced that the pace of inspection is normal. He does not detect any problem. Maybe, he explained to our questioning, that when L. Yuval was commander the pace of inspection was quicker, but he made some “slip-ups”.  He did not elaborate on the “slip-ups”. We wondered whether efficient checking is considered a slip-up. Officer Tarek from the DCO, whom we asked to intervene, promised to do so, but on the ground matters did not improve.Something has to be done and the Head of the Ministry of the Security should be officially informed.
 

Ramadin CP
 Good news awaited us at Ramadin. The CP has been dismantled!