afternoon

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Dec-8-2003
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Qalqiliya--Mon. Dec. 8,03M. K., M. M., M. S., Y. D.From early morning the checkpoint was closed because of warning about a terrorist with an exploding belt being present in the area of Rosh Haayin.There were long lines of trucks and people crowding on both sides of the closed checkpoint for hours, with no food or water.There were many women and very young children. Exhausted people. There were detained ambulances with patients inside: we witnessed a case of a heart attack, after we spoke with the soldiers, his entrance into Qalqiliya was allowed with two doctors who were waiting in line and they entered with an ambulance. Following another intervention with the soldiers, a young pregnant woman was placed in another, empty ambulance because she was bleeding and on her way to the hospital.While we were at the checkpoint, the people standing on line lost their patience and under the leadership of a father, who was embracing his little daughter and accompanied by his pregnant wife and their young son, the masses started to walk ahead in the direction of Qalqiliya against the orders and shouts of the army personnel. Matters got out of hand: the soldiers and the Palestinians were hysterical. T he soldiers aimed their weapons and began shooting in the air and calling for reinforcements that arrived quickly with loaded weapons. T he people retreated in fright and returned to the beginning of the checkpoint. Halbi, from the DCO headquarters arrived and tried to calm things down.In a conversation with the DCO officer--Mantzur--we were told that the people were asked not to arrive at the checkpoint and that Jews were also not allowed to move around the area. He promised that conditions at the checkpoint would be much improved. There were painful sights that included the village idiot trying to cross the checkpoint with a horse and cart on which a giant satellite disk was mounted, women with carts pulled by donkeys that were loaded with firewood for heating, trucks with bleating cows, crying children, the vice president of Schem University in a roaring silence.At three thirty, about one and half-hours after our arrival, an order was received to allow people to cross in both directions of the checkpoint, women and children first and the vehicles last.Halbi was a ray of light. A reserve officer and a few other reservists were understanding and empathetic.In general, another black day at the Qalqiliya checkpoint.