Qalandiya

This was the day of the terrorist
attack on bus line 6 in Jerusalem, following several other
terrorist incidents As soon as we arrived, the commander of the
checkpoint introduced himself, saying: " This is going to be
my last conversation with you". He forbade us to stand in the
checkpoint itself, but only behind the concrete walls which were
placed towards Ramallah (called "New Jersey" by them).
Only there we were allowed to talk with the Palestinians. When we
asked why someone was being detained for over three hours (as told
us by a detained Palestinian caught in Tora Bora whose papers were
taken), he suggested we shouldn't believe the Palestinians. He
knows exactly when does he sent his soldiers to Tora Bora, and
besides, he can detain a person for 8 hours or more, "as
needed". Afterwards we witnessed his lordly, shameless and
outrageous behaviour. He yelled, mocked and played with the
Palestinians constantly. Compared to him, his soldiers - even
though they were not interested in helping - were at least polite.
Only blue Ids were permitted to pass through and we were completely
helpless in aiding a few hard cases, like a young mother who wanted
to get back home to nurse her baby, or a Leukemia patient who must
repeatedly stand in line for long periods. All the calls we tried
to make were equally futile. We knew that this was a difficult day,
nevertheless we came out with a profound feeling of sorrow and
frustration.